Voices
by Audrey414
Summary: Written for the Granger Enchanted '8th Year Itch' Challenge. The 8th years return to Hogwarts, but not everything is as it seems. Has lemons, violence, minor character death, language, angst, dub-con, EWE. Mentions of PTSD and depression. Happy ending
1. Chapter 1

**Right, haven't got a beta yet so this is my test-run. Written for the Granger Enchanted '8th Year Itch' Challenge.**

**I have to give some awesome recognition to shinigamioni from GE because she's my amazing pseudo-beta and my plot bunny think tank buddy. :D  
**

* * *

After spending an entire year hiding out in a forest searching for Horcruxes, Hermione never thought she would once again enter the hallowed halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a student. She had a bounce in her step, anxious to hasten the journey from the train to the castle. Harry and Ron grumbled as they followed after her. To say that the boys were happy to be back would be a bold-faced lie and an insult to Hermione's happiness. Neither had appreciated Kingsley's decree, Harry having gone so far as to request a private meeting with the minister. The Minister was prepared for Harry's visit – not letting Harry speak one word before he lectured him. Needless to say, Kingsley had put his foot down, stating that not even Harry could weasel his way out of this one. And now, here they were, following Hermione as she led them to the carriages; neither wanting to be here, yet knowing they had to if they wanted to continue on their path to become Aurors.

"Slow down Hermione!" Harry called. "It's not as if the carriages will leave without us!"

"Honestly," Ron said as he turned to Harry, "you would think she was actually _happy_ about being back for another year of school!"

Harry stopped walking. "Do you not know Hermione or are you really that dense, Ron? Of course she's happy to be back; Hermione loves school. Where have you been for the past seven years?"

They both looked ahead as Hermione called to them from a carriage. Dragging Ron behind him, Harry climbed aboard, ignoring the other rider completely. Ron's face instantly turned red upon noticing their companion, showing his inability to hide his anger. Harry elbowed him and shook his head, only to be immediately elbowed himself by Hermione. "_Oh honestly_," she mouthed, moving to sit by their ride companion and not her friends.

"Hello Mal- Draco."

He inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. "Granger."

She was about to ask about his summer, but thought better of it. "How um- what do you think about Kingsley's new law? Ron and Harry absolutely hate it."

Draco leaned against the seat, crossing his arms and ankles. "Well then, Granger, I would say that is the only thing I have in common with… _them_," he said, finishing with a sneer. Closing his eyes, he added, "Now, if you please, I believe this _conversation_ is finished."

Hermione's mouth fell open and she had to hold out her hands to stop the boys from reaching for their wands. "_No_," she mouthed, feeling quite embarrassed.

Really, she had just been trying to be nice; she knew he was the only returning Slytherin of their year. He had switched sides during the final battle, but now she wondered if it had only been because the outcome was obvious – which was what Harry had been telling her all along. Well, fine then, if he didn't want to accept her kindness then she wouldn't waste her time. She crossed her arms, pushing the incident from her mind – determined to not let it ruin her night.

* * *

The 8th Year Tower was unlike any Hermione had ever seen. Since all students returning to complete their 8th year were now separate from their former Houses, all were set to reside in one tower. The Common Area was at least three times the size Gryffindor one, a massive stone fireplace taking up half of one wall to allow freedom of movement in and out of the castle. Off of the main room was complete with a built-in, full service kitchen.

Since the designer had four separate color schemes to work with, the main color in the room was black. All the furniture and appliances were black, but the natural stonework was left alone. To incorporate the colors of each of the four houses, colored accent pieces were displayed around the room. A red or blue throw pillow there, a yellow or green bauble lamp here, even everlasting colored flowers were present to make the area belong to each and every house in a simple, yet tasteful way. She would have hated to see what would have happened had a more direct route been taken to ensure the happiness of all; it surely would have been an eyesore for all.

Everything about the communal areas was extravagant – even the bathroom. Going through the entrance led one to an outer room with two doors. One door led to a multiply shower/toilet area that could house several people at once by the use of personal stalls for separation and privacy. The other door, however, was clearly going to be fought over for the entirety of the year. This room – which Hermione could only compare to the Prefect's Bathroom – held a glorious bath larger than most swimming pools. Multiple taps held various oils, bubbles, soaps, and nearly any other substance one would add to a bath. An entire length of wall held a mirror and vanity counter with every supply imaginable. There were perfumes, beauty potions, makeups, lotions, colognes, shaving creams, waxing supplies, razors, aftershaves, toothpastes, and mouthwash cleanly organized along the length for use by all. Two enclosed rooms were found at the back – one a toilet, and the other a steam room. Hermione laughed that the builder had added a steam room, but thought that it may be of use when she became overstressed – as she was bound to do. Fluffy towels were found near the door under the row of hooks that held personalized bathrobes for every resident of the tower.

And as much as Hermione loved the splendor of the communal areas, the residential area was by far her favorite. They were eleven rooms in total for use of living arrangements. Since the other seven Slytherins – besides Draco – had not come back to the school, two of the double rooms and one of the triple rooms had been closed off. Of the remaining nine rooms, two were singles – one of which Hermione quickly claimed. The second of the two was claimed by Draco, since none of the rest of the males wanted to share with him. Ron and Harry, and the four Hufflepuffs claimed the three double rooms – Hannah Abbott rooming with Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley rooming with Ernie Macmillian. The remaining male trios from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw claimed two of the triple rooms – Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, and Terry Boot from Ravenclaw, and Seamus, Dean, and Neville from Gryffindor. Padma, Pavarti, and Lavender took the final three-person room for themselves.

Now, as great as it was for Hermione to have a room to herself, that wasn't the reason why the residential rooms were her favorite. No, upon entering her room, Hermione noticed that the bedspread, the rugs, couch, and the curtains were all white. It wasn't just any white that she saw, but a blinding, empty white as if the room was waiting for her colored input. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the white began to recede, leaving actual color in its wake. The rugs on the floor took on a tame, cream color, the bedspread and curtains changed to a nice, sea foam green and the couch a pale blue. In Hermione's opinion, it was the perfect room for her to relax and study in. Having some control over the décor after too many years in a room consisting only of gold and red was a welcome change.

The view from her window was especially spectacular. She had a west-facing room overlooking the Great Lake and the Forbidden Forest, which was bound to provide a lovely observation point for many beautiful sunsets.

The only downside of her room was the horrendously small closet. Instead of a wardrobe, the closet was actually built in to the wall – making it only slightly more difficult to expand with magic. Leaving her truck untouched for now, Hermione grabbed her wand and set about relieving herself of the inconvenience.

The spell was quite simple so, when a spark of blue flew at her, it was safe to say that she was surprised. She was even more surprised when she held a yell coming from _inside_ her closet. "Bloody fuck!"

"Draco?" She stepped closer to look inside and saw Draco standing in his room.

"Granger?" He was holding onto his shoulder, which looked like it had been burned. "What the hell did you do to my arm?"

"Your arm? What do you mean? And why is there a hole in my closet leading to your room?"

"_Your_ closet…" he said, a look of realization crossing his face. "Shit. You weren't by any chance trying to expand your closet, were you?" He rubbed his hand across his face in frustration and glared at her.

"How did you- oh! You were doing the same to yours?" Hermione bit her lip. "Well now what do we do?"

Draco loosened his tie and sighed. "Well, since our rooms are connected, we only have a few options." Hermione made a circular motion with her hand, indicating that he should continue. "Option one would be for one of us to remove the charm so that the other could leave theirs up, which by the look on your face would have to be me and I have no intention of doing so. Option two is for both of us to take off the charm and both suffer with a smaller than reasonable closet."

Hermione groaned. "Am I to assume there is a third option?"

He inhaled deeply through his nose and stepped inside the closet. "Well… with _both_ of our charms the area is much larger. I really don't like this but… we _could_ leave the charms up." He held up his hand at the sign of her protest.

"Let me finish." Hermione nodded and crossed her arms. "As I was saying, we could leave the charms up. Now, this will leave our rooms connected, but we could each put up silencing and veil charms, which would essentially close it both ways."

"So my charms would keep you out of my side and yours will keep me out of your side, but they would still allow us the expanded closets…" Hermione had to admit, it did sound like an acceptable arrangement. "It sounds alright, except for… well, what happens when the charms wear off?"

Draco shrugged. "Three month charms, so we re-apply them at Christmas and Easter Holidays. Reasonable enough if you ask me." He raised an eyebrow. "What do you say, Granger?"

"No one will know?" She could only imagine Harry or Ron's reaction to the knowledge that her room was connected to Draco's – especially after her torture in Draco's house.

He snorted. "As if I would want Potter and Weasel to know about this."

She lifted her wand and began the movements for her veil. "Alright, Malfoy."

"Granger…" He paused, "I'm- I apologize for earlier this evening." He nodded and then raised his own wand, beginning his spells.

Soon, all Hermione saw was the back of a newly expanded closet and knew that he saw the same on his own side. After applying a very strong silencing charm, she began to unpack her truck. She pushed Draco's apology to the back of her mind, ignoring it for now until she had time to think on it later. After an hour, everything was unpacked and in its place, so Hermione packed her satchel for the next day – making sure she had plenty of parchment, all her books, as well as both Muggle pens and self-inking quills. No one could accuse her of being unprepared.

The next task fell to deciding on an outfit to wear for the next day. Since the 8th years were no longer part of their former houses, as long as they wore clothes fit for the classroom, they were allowed to dress as they pleased. Searching through her closet, mind boggled on how easy it had been cooperating with Malfoy, she decided on a simple pair of grey slacks. She paired them with a red, ruffled collared blouse and a pair of red, peek-toe heels. Satisfied that everything was in order for her first day of classes, Hermione grabbed her latest book, _Cryer's Cross_ by Lisa McMann, and headed for the common room.

* * *

Hermione left her room and made her way down the hallway to the common area. She had already changed into her sleeping clothes – an oversized long-sleeved t-shirt of Ron's and a pair of boxers from Harry. She was surprised to find that the living area was completely empty except for Draco, who was sitting in one of the arm chairs reading a book. He nodded as she entered, but said nothing more as he continued reading. He had on a pair on green sleep pants and a white t-shirt, which had ridden up so Hermione could see a trail of light blonde hair leading from his navel.

She blushed and quickly reclined on the couch, hoping that he hadn't noticed. All was forgotten when she continued with her story. The heroine's best friend had just gone missing when the rest of the 8th years slowly trickled into the living area.

Ron plopped down on the other end of the couch, pulling Hermione's legs into his lap and gently massaging her calves. She groaned and bookmarked her place, unable to concentrate any longer. "Are you and Harry unpacked?"

"Erm… well we…" Ron started.

"We were playing Wizard's Chess," Harry said, quickly breaking in. Both boys looked guilty, but Ron's fingers were doing wicked things to her legs and she found she didn't care.

Hermione sighed. "Boys… If you can't even unpack your trucks without being told, what's going to happen when you have homework to do? I won't be your mother _again_."

"Relax babe," Ron said, grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it. "We'll get it done. Promise."

"You'd better," she said, sitting up and curling into Ron's side. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. She sighed in contentment, happy that their desperate kiss during the final battle had turned into something more.

She was suddenly thrown out of her relaxation when Ron yelled across the room to Dean. "Oi Dean! Turn on the wireless – the America-Japan game is on!" The previously quite atmosphere was quickly replaced with a loud, boisterously Quidditch obsessed one that Hermione loathed. Sighing, she picked up her book and went back to her room, knowing the match would go on well into the night. Maybe she could get another chapter in before she went to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione awoke early the next morning in hopes that she could make use of the large, pool-sized bath. It was only 6:50, which left her plenty of time to make breakfast at 7:30. It wasn't that she _needed_ to attend breakfast in the Great Hall, since they had their own kitchen in the tower, but they were required to attend two meals a day with the rest of the school and she may as well start off the day right.

The rest of the tower seemed quiet, so Hermione was fairly certain she was the only one awake. It was safe to assume that the others were still on their summer sleep schedule and it would take a few days before she had competition for the room.

She entered the outer room of the bathrooms and reached for the doorknob of the large room. Before she could grasp it, the door flew open, smacking her in the shoulder.

Large hands grabbed her before she could fall and she looked up into the silver eyes of Draco Malfoy. "Alright there, Granger?" Her eyes travelled the length of his body, taking in his glistening chest, since all he wore was a pair of green boxers covered by his open bathrobe. He set her back on her feet and continued towel drying his hair.

She nodded quickly, mentally berating herself for looking at Malfoy twice in as many days. Before he could say another word, she rushed into the room he had just vacated and locked the door.

* * *

Hermione bathed and dressed quickly so that she was ready to leave the tower by 7:25. Surprisingly, Harry and Ron were ready and waiting for her by the tower entrance, instead of still sleeping as she had expected. "You two are up already? What did I miss?"

Ron smiled sheepishly and rubbed his arm in the way he always did when he was planning something. "Well, we were thinking about going to Hogsmeade tonight and since we have to eat two meals in the Great Hall…"

Hermione rolled her eyes and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Yes, yes, I get it. But don't make it a habit. Just because we can go to Hogsmeade whenever we like, doesn't mean you have to go every night."

Ron wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side. "So does that mean you'll go with us," he whispered, tickling her ear with his lips.

He knew it made her knees weak when he did that – damn him. Determined to have fun this year, she nodded and then laughed when he grabbed her arse in approval.

Together, the trio made their way to the Great Hall, where Harry quickly broke off to sit with Ginny at the Gryffindor table. Hermione waved at the girl as she and Ron made their way to the 8th Year table. They were the first to arrive, but it quickly became clear that the rest of the tower had the same idea as Ron, when everyone made their way down before the end of breakfast.

Once she finished eating, Hermione made her way to the dungeons for Potions. Even though they were technically taking the same classes as the 7th years, the classes were held separately. As always, she arrived first – even before Slughorn – and took her usual seat at the front of the class. When Harry and Ron entered, they took the desk to her right, leaving the seat beside her empty.

By the time class was to begin, the only empty seats were beside Hermione and Hannah Abbott. Neville entered and, upon seeing an empty seat by Hannah, blushed profusely. Realization dawned on his face when he noticed Draco was the only person yet to arrive and it was obvious that he was torn in his decision of where to sit. Hermione, being the only person to know of Neville's crush and realizing his hesitation, nodded her head to let him know she would be fine. No one needed to know of their ability to act civilly towards one another. And the fact that she was rather excited to work with him on a potion – even if it was only for the one day.

Ron and Harry both sprang up, realizing that Hermione would have to sit with Malfoy if one of them didn't move – but obviously neither of them wanted to be stuck with him either. During their non-verbal conversation, Malfoy entered and took his seat by Hermione, unnoticed by either boy. Meanwhile, it was agreed that Harry would partner with Malfoy – since Ron was Hermione's girlfriend. Ron grabbed his bag and turned to move, only to realize that their scheming had been a waste. He was about to argue when Slughorn came in, starting class.

Hermione could tell from Slughorn's announcement that the rest of the class had looks of pure horror written across their faces. Apparently, the person they sat with would be their partner for the rest of the year. Harry, Ron, and Neville all sent her guilty, sympathetic glances that she discreetly waved off. She honestly didn't mind working with Draco. If their agreement yesterday was anything to go by, she didn't see any problems arising. Plus, she knew he wouldn't leave her to do most of the work like other students normally did.

* * *

The day passed quickly and Hermione was surprised to realize it was time for them to leave for Hogsmeade. Instead of walking the entire way, Hermione smartly suggested that those going should take the Floo. That way, no one would get lost on the way back when they were too drunk to think straight. The entirety of the group met at the Three Broomsticks and proceeded to spend the next few hours drinking and getting reacquainted. Everyone, that is, except for Draco.

Hermione looked around and realized he was sitting by himself in a corner, eating fish and chips and drinking generous amounts of firewhiskey. The rest of the group was laughing as Ron recounted a tale about Charlie working with dragons and she was certain she wouldn't be missed. Grabbing her own chips and butterbeer, she walked over and joined Draco.

He didn't look up as she sat but he did raise his glass in a mock salute before downing it. "You're by yourself," she said, even though it was obvious.

"I _was_," he drawled. Downing another shot, he coughed and then looked at her bleary eyed. "But it looks like I'm… with… you," he said, poking her on the nose as he finished. He then took a chip from her plate and popped it into his mouth.

"And… you're drunk. Why, why are you drunk?"

He blinked at her, trying to focus his eyes, but finding it impossible to do so. "You… You're asking me _why_ I'm drunk?" He shook his head, trying to clear it. "You're joking, right? I mean, I would think it was obvious. I'm not wanted here. I mean, look at them – they don't even know I'm here. And if they do, they're satisfied to ignore my existence. I'm hated, Hermione. There's nothing I can do about it and there's nothing you can do about it." He tried to pour himself another glass before she stopped him. "Maybe you should leave me to my drinking and rejoin your little friends over there."

Hermione looked at him. It was obvious that behind the mask he wore so coolly every day that he was hurt. Hurt and lonely and hoping for a second chance. By all accounts, she should hate him, what with having been tortured in his house not six months before. But no matter how hard she tried, no matter how many times she heard Ron or Harry complain about him, she just couldn't hate Draco. Plus, she couldn't forget the fact that he _had_ changed sides – he couldn't be all _that_ bad. Maybe if she gave him a second chance, others would follow her lead.

"Come on," she said, pulling him to his feet. "I'm taking you back to the castle; you need to go to bed."


	3. Chapter 3

Draco woke the next morning with a raging headache, wondering how he made it back from the bar the night before. He looked at his bedside table to find a vial of liquid and a note. Rising as quickly as he could without vomiting, he reached for the parchment.

_Draco, _

_ I thought you may need this after last night. If you aren't up in time for Herbology I'm coming to get you. _

_ HG_

Draco groaned and looked at his alarm clock. He groaned again; it was 8:45 and class started at 9:00. It looked like he'd have to skip a shower and use a spell. Lovely. It was just what he needed with a hangover.

He rose from his bed and grabbed a pair of khaki pants and a black polo. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate for class, but he didn't give a shit at the moment – just like he didn't give a shit that his Dark Mark was showing. The potion looked vile and tasted just as bad, but his headache instantly dissipated. Thankfully, he had packed his bag before going out the night before, so all he had to do was grab it.

Looking at the clock again, he saw that he only have ten minutes to get from the tower to the greenhouses and knew he had to leave immediately. He opened the door and saw none other than Hermione Granger waiting for him.

"Did you get your potion?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Is that what you want? A 'thank you'?" he sneered.

To her credit, she looked taken aback. He felt slightly guilty, remembering flashes of the night before. She had left her friends to sit with him. She had talked to him like she hadn't been tortured at his house the year before. She had gotten him back safely. What he didn't know was why. Why didn't she hate him like everyone else?

"I… You know what, never mind," she said, turning on her heel to walk away. Before she had gone more than a few steps, she stopped and turned back to face him. "You know what; I _thought_ you would want a _friend_, Malfoy. I thought that you, of all people, needed someone – especially if last night is anything to go by. Now I see that I was just wasting my time."

She left him there, mouth gaping and standing like an idiot. He didn't go to class.

* * *

She knew her friends were staring, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was pissed off, royally pissed off. Malfoy was alone at this school – anyone could see that. And he thought she wanted a thank you! Her head screamed. She'd wanted to hex the wanker where he stood, but she had walked away. And now, all the good she did for him last night and this morning was for naught.

The prat hadn't shown up for Herbologly after she left him. And, to top it all off, he had missed Charms and was currently missing Transfiguration at the present.

"Miss Granger, is there something we're keeping you from?"

She jumped, startled out of her stupor. "N-no, Professor White. I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling well this afternoon."

He studied her for a moment, obviously annoyed, before turning to Ron. "Weasely, take her to the Hospital Wing. Everyone else, turn to page 455."

Ron helped her to her feet and grabbed her bag before leading her into the hall. They hadn't walked more than a few yards before he stopped her, pushing her against the wall. "What's going on?"

She gasped, looking around to make sure they were alone. "Ron, someone could see us."

His eyes softened. "Don't make me ask you again, Hermione. Harry and I both know that look, and something has upset you." He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Please, talk to me. Does this have anything to do with last night? You left early and didn't tell anyone; it was probably an hour before we noticed you were gone. Did you get sick?"

She groaned. "An hour? It took you an hour to notice your girlfriend was gone?" Now she was angry with Ron and Malfoy. What a great way to start the school year.

"Babe, you know that's not what I meant. Please, just tell me if it's something I did."

She keeping things from him, knowing he wouldn't understand her being upset over Malfoy. But that didn't mean she was ready to forgive him for his confession at the moment. "It's nothing to do with you, Ron. It's just, you know… time for the full moon…" It wasn't a complete lie – she really did have cramps.

Ron's eyes widened in what looked like fear. He looked down, realizing that he still held her against the wall, and quickly backed away. "I- I'm sorry babe. You should have told me. Let's get you to Pomfrey. Do you need me to bring you anything from the tower?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's a period, Ron, not some disease that will keep me in the hospital for days on end. Honestly," she said, removing his arm from her shoulder and they continued down the hallway.

To his credit, Ron at least looked embarrassed. "Sorry, babe, I just… Sorry." He lifted her bag, readjusting it on his shoulder. "Do you want me to come with you, or just meet you back at the tower?"

Again, she rolled her eyes. Seriously, she was going to get a headache just from doing that! "Just go. I'll get my bag from your room later."

* * *

Hermione made her way back to the tower nearly an hour later. Pomfrey had quickly given her pain potions and an enchanted heating pad, after having run an extensive diagnostic spell to make sure nothing else was ailing her. She made to leave the room just as McGonagall entered. Since she was known for her responsible actions and rule following, Hermione was questioned about Draco Malfoy – as it had not gone unnoticed that he missed all three of his classes for the day.

Now Hermione knew she should tell Minerva _exactly_ what Draco had been up to this morning, and the night before – but, for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Maybe it was her hormones. Maybe it was her obsession to help lost souls. She didn't know. But she did something she normally only did to help Ron or Harry. She lied.

"I told him not to go to his classes today."

Minvera's eyebrows shot into her hairline. "Excuse me, Miss Granger. You told him _what_?"

"M-my room shares a wall with his. I heard him coughing all night long. And then this morning, I found him throwing up in the bathroom. I wanted to bring him here, but he refused. Since he had a fever, I told him that he either had to come here or go back to bed since I didn't want him to infect other students." She lowered her head in fake-shame. "I'm sorry Headmistress. I know I shouldn't have done that, but he was pretty miserable looking."

The older woman sighed. "Yes, you should have made him come here. But I can see that you were only trying to help, so I won't punish you _or_ Mister Malfoy." She turned towards the Mediwitch. "Poppy, could you please make potions for Miss Granger to deliver to Mr. Malfoy. Miss Granger will wait here until you're finished."

So now, an hour after she should have been released, Hermione made her way back to the 8th Year Tower. Ron jumped up from the couch as soon as she entered. "There you are! You should have been back an hour ago; was there something else wrong?"

"No, everything's fine. I just had to wait for Pomfrey to brew some potions for me," she lied, quite easily in fact. "I'll just take my bag now and go nap before dinner." She looked around. "My bag, Ron?"

"Oh, yeah, your bag's in my room. I couldn't get past your wards to put it in yours," he stammered, looking strangely put out. Whatever it was, Hermione didn't really want to know at the moment.

"Of course you couldn't get past my wards, Ron. Did you honestly expect you would?" She rolled her eyes and made her way down the hall, leaving him in the common area.

Since she had the potions that she lied about for Draco, she stopped by his room first. He answered the door and looked none too happy to see her. "You again?"

"Yes, me again," she huffed. "Let me in, I need to talk to you." When it was obvious he wasn't going to let her in, she pushed her way past him and sat on the end of his bed. She then pulled the potions out of her pocket and held them out to him. "These are for you."

He cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Why do you have potions for me and what are they for?"

She sighed. "Long story short: I was in the Hospital Wing earlier. McGonagall came in and happened to ask me why you weren't in any of your classes today. I lied for you and told her that you were sick and, after I found you throwing up this morning, I told you to skip class and go back to bed." She flopped back on the bed and sighed. "For some reason, she believed me but I had to wait an hour for Pomfrey to brew those for you when really all I wanted to do was come back here and go to bed."

He was silent for a moment, studying the woman lying across his bed. "You lied for me?"

"Ugh! Yes, Malfoy, I lied for you!" She sat up and pointed her finger at him. "And don't ask me _why_ because, after the way you treated me this morning, I haven't a clue!"

He stared at her for a minute, an unreadable expression on his face. Finally, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Thank you. And… and I'm sorry about this morning; I know you have a bleeding heart and I shouldn't have behaved the way I did."

She was shocked. Not only did he thank her, but he apologized too. "Well, thank you," Hermione said, getting up to leave. Before closing the door, she looked back to see him lightly fingering the glass vials holding the potions.

Quickly, since her cramps really were getting worse, she made her way further down the hall to Ron and Harry's room so she could retrieve her bag. Trying the handle, she found the door unlocked, so she let herself in. "God damn it, Harry Potter! Locking charm!" She yelled and quickly turned around, shutting the door behind her.

Ugh, her day had been bad enough before walking in on Ginny Weasley giving her best friend a blow job!


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione woke a few hours later in her darkened room. She wasn't sure what time it was, or what woke her up, but she did know that she was very hungry. Her cramps had lessened considerably and she found it was much easier to move out of her bed.

She yelped in surprise at the hunched figure sprawled across her couch. The person shifted and groaned, sitting up and cracking stiff joints. "Hey babe, you okay?"

At Ron's familiar voice, Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. It seemed so silly, but in those few seconds of not knowing who was in her room, she had been filled with panic. She hadn't been that scared since the war. It was like Bellatrix all over again.

Whether from her relief or leftover from her panic, Hermione couldn't help the shudder that took over her body and made it difficult to breathe. Ron was to her in an instant, cradling her in his arms and whispering soothing words. He knew, then, that he had made a mistake being in her room without her knowing – but he had only done it because Harry told him that Hermione was upset over what she had seen. He had wanted to be there for her when she woke.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't think. Please don't cry," he whispered in her ear, pleading for her to hear him through her daze. Her crying got worse and she was gasping for breath. This wasn't the first time she'd had an attack like this; he knew it would be awhile before she calmed down and he was determined to stick it out.

He gently rocked her as she curled into his lap, mentally scolding himself along the way. _Perfect, Weasley, fucking perfect. What the hell were you thinking? Oh, that's right, you weren't. Such an idiot. After everything she did for you, you repay her by scaring her to tears. Great, just great. Fucking wanker, that's what you are. You should have just let Harry deal with his own mistakes instead of doing it for him. Fuck! Always putting Harry before her! You are so… Why? Why do you always do this to her? _

_ She won't forgive you. After everything you've done in the past seven years, and now _this._ Fuck, you don't even want to know what's going to happen when she finds out what else has been going on! _

After a fair amount of time, Hermione slowly began to regain control of her breathing. Her tears lessened and her chest lost the tightness that always came from her panic. She took a deep breath and held it for fifteen seconds before releasing it. As Ron rubbed her back in soothing circles, she repeated the breathing exercise several times. Eventually, she was able to sit up and stop her hiccups.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I just wanted to be here to explain about Harry. I wasn't thinking about your attacks." He kissed her forehead, trying to show her how sorry he was.

She looked at him, knowing her face was covered in red splotches and hair a mess. She knew he was sorry, but it had been so long since she had felt an attack like that and she was upset. "Please leave." The numbness that always followed her panic attack was slowly starting to creep inside her chest. Nothing really mattered; all she wanted was to be left alone.

Ron stiffened before slowly nodding his head. He allowed her to shift off his lap and he rose from the bed. "I brought your bag back," he said, pointing towards her desk. "And I'll bring you something to eat, since you missed dinner."

She watched him leave, her knees tucked tightly against her chest the entire time. The latch didn't catch as Ron left, so the door whispered back open. She sighed, not wanting to leave her bed, but not about to have another panic attack with the door left like that.

Hermione walked across the room, kicking her bag as she passed it. She was startled when someone knocked on the door, causing her to jump back. A blonde head peeked its way inside, which for reasons unknown, made her feel safer. "Granger?"

She allowed herself one last sniffle, wiping any leftover tears from her face. "Yeah. What, um… what can I do for you?"

He took a few steps inside her room, nodding at her choice of color, before focusing on her. He stilled when he noticed her distress. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, lowering it in embarrassment. "No, it's nothing… Please?"

Not convinced but not necessarily wanting to play therapist, he nodded in agreement. "Can I, um, come in?"

Hermione nodded and motioned to her couch, waving her hand to wandlessly light the room. Not feeling completely comfortable sitting on her bed with Draco in the room, she took a seat at her desk. Even though she was still exhausted from earlier, her curiosity won out and she wished he would get to the point. At the moment, he looked just as lost as she left.

Draco looked up as Hermione cleared her throat, reminding him that she was there. "Oh, right… Sorry. I wanted to thank you again for what you did for me. And… well, I was wondering if you could possible do me one more favor."

"What do you need, Draco?" she asked, curious as to what he could possibly need from her.

"Your notes." He had his elbows resting on his knee, his head lowered in embarrassment. "I know you stuck your neck out for me earlier today, and I don't expect for you-"

"Yes."

He looked up, startled. "Y-yes?"

Hermione was already searching her bag for the notes from the three classes he missed. "I take it you know the duplication spell?" He nodded and she handed them over. Looking down, she realized she still had on her dress clothes from class; that definitely wasn't going to help her feel any more comfortable. "I'm going to go change in my closet – since it seems I feel asleep earlier. I'll be right back," she said, walking into her now enlarged closet.

"Oh," Hermione quickly stuck her head back out. "If Ron comes back, please take the food from him and ask him to leave."

Draco watched as she disappeared behind the door. Why she wanted him to turn her boyfriend away, he had no clue. But, as he thought about it, he figured the Weasel had stuck his foot in his mouth yet again – not that he cared about the Weasel, but something clutched his heart at the thought of Hermione upset.

No sooner had he started copying Hermione's notes, then the boyfriend in question pushed his way into the room. A tray of food was levitating behind him. A deep scowl crossed his face upon seeing Draco in his girlfriend's room, with his girlfriend nowhere in sight.

"She's changing in the closet," Draco said, without looking up from the notes. "She asked me to tell you to please set down the food and kindly leave."

As expected, Ron started sputtering, his face turning a most unattractive shade of puce. "You! What the hell do you think you're doing in here?"

Draco sighed. If the Weasel was going to act like a child, then he would be treated as such. "I am copying notes. Now, as I said, Hermione told me to please ask you to leave if you were to show up while she was changing. I don't know why you can't understand that; I am speaking simple English here."

Ron was now fuming, as Draco knew he would. Honestly, he was so predictable. "You- you son of a-"

"Please leave my mother out of this, as she has nothing to do with the situation at hand," Draco drawled, finally looking up from Hermione's notes. "Now I don't know what you did to upset her, but she was crying when I came here so I suggest you honor her wishes."

Ron had fisted Draco's collar and, before he knew what was happening, he was tugged to his feet. Ron was seething, his face only inches from Draco's. "You stay out of matters that do not concern you. And you will stay the hell away from _my _Hermione." Ron shook him so hard he thought his head would dislodge. "Do you understand Ferret?"

Draco sneered. "Let go of me you Neanderthal."

A sickening crack could be heard throughout the room as Ron's fist connected with Draco's cheekbone. Immediately, Draco knew it was broken; and he wouldn't be surprised if his eye socket was as well. Another blow struck his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He refused to give Ron the satisfaction of hearing his gasp of pain, instead keeling over as far as Ron's grip would allow. He felt the other man draw back his fist for another blow and braced himself as well as he could. This wasn't anything he hadn't already been introduced to before courtesy of other Death Eaters.

"Ronald Weasley!" Both men looked up – Draco's view largely impaired – at the furious witch before them. "Release him and get _out_!" If steam could blow out of one's ears, Draco was sure Hermione would be filling the room with it. She hadn't even looked this mad when she hit him in their Third Year.

Ron released his grip and Draco gracelessly crumpled to the floor. "But-"

"GET OUT," she screeched, wand extended and looking furious. The Weasel's eyes widened and he quickly backed out of the room.

As soon as he saw the retreating footsteps leave, Draco released the groan he'd been holding for far too long. His eye was already swollen shut and he could almost feel the bruise forming against his cheek. He felt pathetic, but strangely proud of himself for not fighting back.

Someone was touching him, trying to roll him out of the protective ball he had moved into. Draco tried to fight them until he realized it was Hermione. "Don't curl up; you won't be able to catch your breath." He allowed her to stretch him out until she was able to hover over his face. If her grimace was anything to go by, Weasel had done a number on him.

"_Episkey_."

"Merlin! Hell! Fuck!" Her healing spell felt worse than the punches.

Hermione winced in sympathy. "I know it hurts, but it needs to be done. Please stay still." He stopped moving and she lowered her wand to his eye. He glared at her, but her chuckle told him it wasn't very effective with a broken eye socket. "One more, sorry."

He groaned again, but was prepared for her second spell. It still hurt like hell though.

She smiled. "Much better. Now just let me…" She bit her lip in concentration. "_Tergeo_." She sat back and looked him over. "There. Good as new. You won't even have a bruise."

No bruise? He couldn't believe it. He didn't even know of a Mediwitch who could dispel bruises. "Mirror." She levitated a pocket mirror from her bag and held it up for him to see. "Bloody hell!" His face. His face was perfect; she had even fixed the almost invisible scar at his hairline that he was told would be impossible to remove.

Hermione smiled at him as he looked at her in what only could be described of as awe. "I apologize for Ronald. I wouldn't have left you to deal with him if I had known that would happen."

"Stop," he ordered. Sitting up, he added, "You do _not_ apologize for what _he_ did. Especially since you did this," he motioned to his face, "for me."

He stood, helping her to her feet as well. She seemed to not be able to look away from his face, checking it over to be absolutely sure she hadn't missed any cuts or bruises. She even went so far as to brush some of his fringe from his forehead for a better look, causing him to shiver in longing. He had wanted her since Third Year, but knew – especially after the incident at his Manor – all chances were long lost.

Once they were off the floor, Hermione gestured towards the abandoned couch. "I don't know what to say about Ron – and I'm not apologizing, really I'm not. But he really shouldn't have done that." Her face scrunched up in contemplation as she pulled him down to sit beside her. "Do you- What happened for him to do that to you? I didn't even hear anything while I was in the closet." She gasped, "Oh, God, please tell me it wasn't just from him walking in and seeing you in my room."

Despite the situation, Draco chuckled. "No, I think it may have been because I told him you were crying when I came in. He wouldn't leave when I told him what you said, so I thought hearing that would get him out for you. Apparently not," he sighed, rubbing his face.

She looked at him, eyebrows scrunched up. "B- but he knew I had been crying before he left." She growled, grabbing her hair and tugging it. "What the hell is wrong with him?"

"Hey, your hair is bad enough as it is. Don't punish it and make it worse," he said, pulling on a curl and making her smile. "Anyway," he looked at the clock, "I should be heading back to my own room to look these notes over."

She tucked her knees against her as he made to leave. For some reason that she couldn't decipher, she felt safe and happy with him here. Now that he was leaving, she felt the sadness left over from her attack begin to make its way back to the front of her mind.

He smiled back at her as he closed the door, and then he was gone. Hermione knew she should try to explore the strange feelings she had felt a moment ago, but decided not to dwell on it for the time being. Instead, she ate the soup Ron had left her and went back to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Got a beta so I'll be uploading this onto Granger Enchanted.**

* * *

Hermione awoke the next morning feeling strangely relaxed, which was unusual as she normally woke feeling rather tense after an attack like the one she had the night before. She knew that she would have to face Ron at some point, but she honestly didn't care. Besides, she did have a reasonable excuse to ignore him. She loved him, but she couldn't understand how he could be so cruel. Yes, it had probably been a surprise for him to see Draco in her room, but it was _her_ room and she could bloody well do as she liked!

She sat up and hugged her knees. Ron acted as if _he_ was the one tortured in the Malfoy Manor and not her. If she could get through that and be willing to give Draco a second chance, then Ron really had no say in the matter. And it wasn't Draco's fault what had happened there; he had refused to identify them and yet _it_ was always overlooked. What mattered was that he had changed sides when it really counted.

But none of that mattered at the moment, really. Right _now_, she needed to get ready for the day. She had breakfast to attend and then Defense Against the Dark Arts with George Weasely; the class on Monday had been interesting enough and she could already tell he would being using trick products to test their skills. She had to give him credit though, as he was one of the youngest professors Hogwarts had ever had; Minerva wouldn't had hired him had he been incapable of doing the job. And, even though she would never admit it to anyone, she had always admired the twins and their ability to create inventive spells and products. He would most definitely test her patience, but she would learn a lot from him in the meantime.

She knew that the _good_ bathroom would be taken by the time she left her room, so she just went straight to the communal one. It wasn't really _that _bad in there, really; there was plenty of room and privacy. Or so she thought.

Hermione walked in to find Ginny wearing nothing but an over-sized t-shirt of Harry's and half her bum showing. "Oh, morning 'Mione! Isn't this tower just awesome; we're so lucky!"

Hermione tried not to grimace at the nickname she absolutely hated but her friends used anyway. "Hi Ginny," she said, closing the door to her shower stall. _Wait_, she thought. _Did Ginny just say 'we're so lucky?' She isn't an 8__th__ Year, even if she's dating Harry._

Hermione had a bad feeling about Ginny already. She wasn't sure what she would do if Ginny continued to act like she was entitled to things she wasn't.

But she wasn't going to dwell on this at the moment. She had so much to do today, and didn't have time to deal with Ginny.

* * *

The class erupted in laughter as George's new product caused Ron to be covered in boils and then his hair to turn an unnatural shade of purple. "Well, little brother, what are you going to do to rid yourself of this _condition_?" Ron glared at Hermione when she failed to contain her own laughter. The class laughed again as his hair changed again to look like flames shooting out of his head. Harry was the only person who was able to keep a straight face. In fact, he was currently glaring at their professor.

George snickered, obviously enjoying tormenting his brother. Hermione could tell that Ron would be his favorite to test out spells and items on. "Granger? You think you can help Ronnikins out here?"

She nodded, pressing her lips into a tight line, but her eyes showing her laughter as clear as day. "May I see the candy, please, Professor Weasely?"

"Come on, I think I've known all of you long enough for you to call me George." He held up his hand to shush Hermione, having seen her about to protest. "And this goes for all of you. I know I am your professor, but, _really_, I'm only two years older than you lot. Now take this and figure out what to do with my brother."

Hermione took the offered candy, waving her wand over it. Having been around the Weasley twins for the past eight years, she had created her _own_ spells – the one which she used now allowed her to see every ingredient, spell, or enchantment on whatever item it was cast upon. She smirked and then grimaced. "You're such a prat, you know that, right?"

He chuckled, "Well, if you _think_ you know how to fix this, then by all means."

She blushed slightly, realizing what she would have to do and very aware that the entire class was staring at her. She did _not_ want to do this! "You know, this isn't very appropriate for school…" He raised an eyebrow, indicating that she should have known that about him already. He clearly wouldn't accept her protests. "Oh, alright!"

She grabbed Ron by the collar, pulling him closer when all she wanted to do was push him away. His eyes widened in surprise, making his boils even more unattractive. Hermione kissed him quickly and turned away, crossing her arms across her chest. The class erupted in whoops and catcalls, much to her embarrassment.

George ignored her glare, instead applauded her on her creative solution. Her anger reached a new level; it was _his_ creative solution and he knew it! "Nicely done. Would you care to share your spell with the rest of the class?"

_He has _got _to be joking_, she thought.

"No, I would not like to _share with the class_," she sneered. "For one thing, you would just make your new products resistant to it. And for another, I am very angry with you George Weasely! That product and counter action was completely inappropriate for school! I don't care if he is your brother and I'm his girlfriend, you cannot use us as guinea pigs like you used to use the First Years! If I wasn't already mad at _him_," she said, pointing at Ron. "You can be sure that I would be owling your mother!" With her peace said, she gathered her things and stormed from the room, much to the shock of her professor.

* * *

"And then, after she bit George's head off, she stormed out of the room. The class was so distracted that he had to let us go early."

Ginny stared between Harry and Ron, wondering what the hell had gotten into Hermione. How could she go from a panic attack, to defending Malfoy, to ignoring Ron, and then berating George in front of his class? Maybe she didn't deserve Ron. Yes, they had kissed during the final battle, but that didn't mean her brother had to stay in a relationship he was unhappy about. She had never liked her much anyway. Hermione was always getting attention from her mother when she came over – attention that should have belonged to Ginny! And she was so rude to Ron – always rude to him. How many times had they fought over the years? They just were not compatible. "You should leave her," she stated, as if were the simplest thing in the world.

Ron balked. "No, no… It's just that… Well, she's on her period, Gin. I mean, she should be fine after that, right?"

Ginny shook her head at the stupidity of her brother. Well, if he wouldn't do something about Hermione, then it looked as if it would be up to her. It wasn't like she didn't have experience pushing away girls who had no business with her brothers. She had six brothers and her mum couldn't protect them on her own; Ginny had been pushing girls away from Charlie and Bill since she was in nappies. Hermione would be simple. She had become extremely resourceful over the years, especially since she couldn't use magic outside of school. That wouldn't be a problem now.

Her only failure had been Fleur. Well, she would make sure it didn't happen again.

"How about I make dinner for the four of us next week sometime? Maybe all she needs is some attention and she'll be back to normal." An idea had formed and she wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away.


	6. Chapter 6

A few days later, Hermione decided to give Ron a break. He had been quite wonderful lately – even nice to Draco. Well, not really nice, but he hadn't gone out of his way to antagonize Draco – which was pretty good for Ron. Besides, she was tired of fighting and just wanted back the warmth she felt when she was around him.

It hadn't even been a big deal for her to decide. She had been curled up on the window seat, trying to read but looking out the window instead. Ron, Harry, and Ginny had come into the common room after dinner and he stayed there while Harry took his girlfriend to his room. After the last time, she didn't need to guess at their intentions.

Ron had slumped onto the couch, casting looks of longing when he didn't think she was looking. He looked so miserable sitting there, watching her. Her heart ached to see him like that. She did love him, and knew that she couldn't stay mad at him forever. _The old Hermione would have let him suffer for a few more weeks, but she had decided to be a new Hermione this year._ Well, she missed him and the new Hermione felt like enough was enough.

He tried to hide his surprised when she closed her book and walked over to him. Hermione sat down next to him, pulled his arm around her, and cuddled against his chest. Ron squeezed her tightly, releasing a sigh of relief. Everything felt perfect.

And it was perfect – until Draco came into the room and sat in his usual chair by the fireplace. Hermione couldn't stop the feeling of guilt that washed over her. Here she was, sitting with the person who had beaten Draco so badly. She didn't want to feel guilty; even though she was creating a friendship with Draco, she couldn't feel guilty for being with her boyfriend. Besides, she had been friends with Ron for much longer. _No, the new Hermione would not feel guilty._

Slowly, the rest of the tower residents started trickled in as dinner ended. It soon became too crowded to sprawl herself across the couch and she sat up, still nestled into Ron's side. As it was the weekend, the group quickly became boisterously loud and firewhiskey was passed around. Hermione tried to ignore it until Dean spilled his drink on her when he stepped backwards and tripped over the coffee table. He apologized profusely, but Hermione knew the comfortable mood she'd had with Ron was now ruined – as was her blouse.

Ron immediately noticed her distress as she tried to wipe herself off – which wasn't all that surprising since her blouse was white and nearly every male in the room was now staring blatantly at her chest. "Come on, Hermione, let's go get you something else to wear," he said, helping her to her feet and trying his best to put himself between her chest and the boys. Even though she was upset, she smiled – quite excited that Ron was acting like a real, caring boyfriend.

They left the room, much to the amusement of the guys if their catcalls were anything to go by. Ron grabbed her arse, lifting her and carrying her inside her room once her wards were down. She shivered in anticipation; their make-up sex was _always_ the best. She smirked wickedly and grabbed hold of his hair, causing a great rumbling growl to escape from him.

"Naughty girl," he whispered, nipping her ear and causing her skin to break into goosebumps. She squealed as he threw her on the bed and stepped back to survey his prize. "Take it off."

She squirmed but disobeyed his command, knowing he loved when she made him work for it – and hell, she wasn't about to _let_ someone order him around. Hermione waved her hand, vanishing his clothes instead. She gasped in delight as his eyes darkened and his eyebrow arched. Faster than she could register, he was covering her body with his. A shock of fear burst through her, increasing her arousal – something he knew would happen.

"More," she cried when his hand covered a breast, squeezing tightly. He ignored her, so she arched her back, trying to push herself closer. In response, Ron pinned her wrists above her head and straddled her stomach, making it impossible for her to move. _That wicked man_, she thought. _Touch me! _Nothing she did would lessen his grip and she resigned herself to lie still, knowing it was what he wanted and she wouldn't get pleasure until he wanted her to.

As soon as she thought it, his mouth was on her blouse covered breast. "Delicious," he smirked, sucking the alcohol from the fabric. He moaned over her skin, causing ripples of delight to course through her veins. "Are you going to do what I say now?" At her desperate nod, he ripped her clothes from her body.

"Yes! Ron!"

* * *

Hermione woke the next morning to an empty bed and a loud commotion coming from the common room. Curious to what was happening, she threw on a pair of Muggle jeans and on old t-shirt, quickly making her way down the hall. Draco's door opened as she walked by. "What's going on?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Don't know," she said. "But it doesn't sound like anything bad. I'm going to go check it out."

"Wait a second," he said, disappearing into his room. He reappeared a minute later, dressed similar to her. "I want to see too."

They entered the room to see Harry standing on the coffee table, a piece of parchment in his hand. Everyone was crowded around him and he look as if he was trying to get their attention. "Shut your traps and I'll tell you what's going on," he shouted. When he noticed Hermione, he sent her a silent plea for help, knowing she could deal with things like this much better than he could.

Feeling relaxed still from the night before, Hermione decided to use one of the Weasley twins' spells. Thrusting her wand to point at the space above Harry's head, she whispered the spell. An orange spark shot from her wand, heading towards the space before splitting and shocking every person still shouting.

Quickly, Harry was able to get the silence he needed to relay his news. "Right, so I just went to meet with McGonagall and she gave me this," he said, indicating the parchment he was holding. "It seems that the Board of Governors has decided to allow the creation of a new Quidditch team for this year and this year only. They thought that since most of us were being forced to be here through Kingsley's stupid new law, we may as well have something other than school to occupy our time. And, since we're no longer part of our Houses, they want us to create an 8th year team to compete against the rest of the school." A murmur of excitement went through the gathered crowd around him. "McGonagall has made me Captain, since I've already been Captain for the Gryffindor team. She also said that since we have less potential people to choose from for the team, she's going to allow us to start tryouts and training earlier than the rest. The other teams will still have to wait a few more weeks before they're allowed to start." Ron and Dean nudged each other, both excited by the huge advantage their team would have. "Now, I know that most of you weren't members of your House teams in the past, but we need people to step up, because there aren't enough former players to make up a whole team. I also know that it's late notice, but I'm going to be having trials in two hours so we can get started as soon as possible."

Hermione glanced at Draco and noticed the excitement showing in his eyes. She absentmindedly wondered who would be the Seeker between him and Harry. It would be very strange to see Harry playing a position other than the one he was known for, but she had always enjoyed watching Draco. No doubt there would be some tension at the trials. And she knew she would have to be there to play mediator.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione walked to the pitch, a quiet breeze blowing her hair around her face. She spread her blanket onto the edge of the playing area, getting more comfortable here than she had for the tryouts two years previously. She was also quite pleased that the sun was out, warming her face as she waited for the players to emerge from the locker rooms. Upon hearing a commotion, she looked up, noticing the stands quickly filling with students of all years and houses.

She groaned; it seemed that word of the 8th year team had gotten out and everyone was hoping for a show. Merlin, she could even see them placing bets on the Seeker position! Had they lost all sense of decency? She huffed in annoyance, debating about using a spell to cut off the visibility around the field. No, she would leave them be unless they interfered.

A cheer went through the crowd as Harry led the prospective players – Draco, Ron, Hannah Abbott, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas – onto the field. He left them to warm up and moved over to Hermione. "Hey, you think you can help me out and write down everyone's times and scores? I would do it myself, but it looks like I'm going to have enough trouble as it is with this crowd," he said, wincing as the crowd started up a cheer for the Chosen One.

She laughed, conjuring a Muggle notebook and pen. "Yeah, it's not a problem. Who knows, maybe I'll actually enjoy Quidditch for a change." Harry rolled his eyes and went to start with timed laps around the pitch.

After nearly an hour, Hermione had taken times for laps, scores for shots, and nearly everything else Harry could come up with to test his new team. Harry brought his broom to land by Hermione and motioned for the rest to do the same. After a quick study of Hermione's work, he felt he was ready to start the trials for individual positions. "Right," he said, clearing his throat. "Malfoy, I think we should get this out of the way now. Let the others have some time to rest."

Hermione held her breath, noticing that the crowd had gone silent; apparently Harry's voice carried quite a distance. "Hermione, once we get in the air, release the latch to free the snitch," he said, walking away to mount his broom.

"Wait."

Everyone turned to looked at Draco. He hadn't even picked up his broom and was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. A murderous expression crossed Harry's face. "This isn't the Slytherin team, Malfoy. You can't buy your way into the Seeker spot. If you want it you've got to earn it."

A flicker of anger flashed on Draco's face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come and Hermione was certain she had been the only one to notice. "If you would stop to listen, Potter, you would know that I'm giving up being Seeker this year."

Shocked. That was the only thing close to describing the thing everyone in the vicinity of the pitch felt at the moment of Draco's confession. Ron's eyes just about bugged out of his head. Even Hermione knew what a monumental happening this was.

"Why?" Harry asked.

Suspicion came to rest over Ron. "Yeah, what's going on? What are you up to, Malfoy?"

"Ronald," Hermione chastised. "He doesn't have to be up to anything."

"No, it's fine, Granger. I knew the reaction would be like this," Draco said, looking at her in what she thought to be respect. But why he would look at her like that was beyond her reasoning.

"No, Potter, we both know – hell the whole school knows you're the better Seeker. I'll play Chaser instead, if you don't mind."

"But," Harry started, shocked and pleased at the same time. He was, however, a great strategist. "We should still do the trial. Neither of us has ever played a different position, so we should have the best Seeker at least; the loser can learn the new position."

"I've played Chaser," Draco drawled. "It was unofficial, of course, but I'm good. My first year playing I would have been one, if my father hadn't stepped in and _insisted_ I play Seeker. Look," he said, realizing that Harry wasn't convinced. "At least I _know_ a different position. The point is that _you_ don't and I'd rather have you do what you know than be at a disadvantage otherwise. It doesn't matter who is the better Seeker; what matter is who _sucks less_ at another position."

Harry nodded for a moment, thinking through what had just been said. Finally, he must have come to a conclusion because he turned back to Draco. "Can I talk to you for a moment," he inclined his head, "over there?"

They walked away together and Harry yelled back to have Ron start Beater trials. Ignoring her boyfriend's attempt to gain the attention of his shocked teammates, Hermione instead watched the two men. From this far away, it was impossible to hear what they were saying, but she could see Draco adamantly shaking his head at something Harry had said. Harry's arms shot out, trying to emphasize whatever he was saying by pointing at the team, and then the crowd. Finally, Draco offered his hand for Harry to shake. A shot of fear shot through Hermione; Harry couldn't have possibly kicked him off the team, right? She didn't have time to think about it, however, as they began walking back.

"Right," Harry said, gaining the attention Ron had been trying to get for the last ten minutes. "It's been decided that I'll be Seeker and Malfoy will be one of our Chasers. I've also decided that instead of me being Captain, the two of us will share the responsibilities. Malfoy's has agreed, so the two of us will continue on with the rest of the trials now." He ignored the shocked murmuring of the team. "In the air. Let's go!"

The rest of the trials passed by with no further incident. Ron retained his former Keeper position, as did Hannah in her Chaser position – which she had from playing for the Hufflepuff team in years previous. Hermione quite admired her, as Hannah was the only female on the team.

Dean and Seamus acquired the Beaters positions, since Harry thought their close friendship would allow them to do well together. In a close decision, Terry was given the last Chaser position and Michael graciously offered to be a substitute, as he had not made a spot. The crowd had been disappointed that nothing more exciting had happened, but Hermione knew the entire school would be talking about Draco's decision for weeks to come.


	8. Chapter 8

It was Sunday evening, a few hours after the Quidditch trials, and nearly every 8th year student was scrambling to finish their work that was due the next day. Hermione was, of course, the only one who had finished early. She sat on the window seat, which was quickly becoming her favorite spot in the common room, reading her book. The story had drawn her in, making her feel everything the characters were feeling – especially the main character's paranoia. She felt like she _was _the character and the world in which she turned the pages of a book didn't even exist. It was something that always happened when she read – why she found it hard to put a book down before she finished it. She actually loved the feeling of mystery this book gave her; it was a challenge to find the kidnapper before the characters. Mysteries gave her a puzzle to solve.

This story also had romance, the main character fighting her feelings for two different men. The first had been her best friend from birth, technically her boyfriend. And the second was one who had just moved to their small town; she had not grown closer to him until after her 'boyfriend' disappeared. She tried to picture the two men as the author intended but she found herself unable. The best friend, Nico, described as having straight blonde hair, her mind pictured instead with red hair and freckles. Ron. And the newcomer, Jacián, was supposed to be Hispanic and exotic, but she saw white hair and grey eyes. Draco. Could it be that her real-life feelings were influencing how she pictured the characters?

Or possibly she had been taking the character's feeling too far, and confusing them as her own?

Either was possibly at this point; or maybe she was just thinking _way_ too much into this and neither had anything to do with the other.

She was so deep in thought that when someone's hand touched her shoulder she nearly had a heart attack right then and there. As it was, she yelped and fell off the seat, landing on her bum on the floor.

All eyes in the room turned to look at her as one. Her eyes, however, started at her "attacker's" very expensive shoes, up his equally expensive trousers and shirt, and to his face. A sigh of relief escaped her, "Malfoy." Flames of embarrassment invaded her cheeks as she realized she was on her arse at his feet, with everyone staring at her. Quite ungracefully, she clamored to feet, brushing herself off.

"Are you okay? I've been trying to get your attention for awhile now…"

He was quickly shoved aside by a thoroughly irate Ron. "What did you do to her, Malfoy?" He brushed her cheek, turning her to face him. "Babe, you okay? You want me to take you to your room? I don't want everyone to see if you… well, you know," he whispered.

'_If you have a panic attack,'_ she thought, finishing what she knew he didn't want to say out loud. And _why wasn't_ she having one? Her body felt strange, no sign of tightness in her chest what so ever – something that always happened now when she got startled. She didn't even feel numb. Just relieved.

"No," she shook her head. "No, I'm fine, Ron. I was just startled. It's my fault, really, I wasn't paying attention." She smiled sheepishly. "Lost in my own thoughts like usual."

Malfoy just stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching Ron question her. His face remained impassive, but she thought she saw a flicker of something in his eyes. His gaze strayed to the window as Ron kissed her forehead, whispered something, and walked away. His view was cut off, however, as Hermione stepped in his path. "So… you wanted something?"

"Yes," he nodded, glad that she had finally broken the awkward silence that hung in the room. Apparently, everyone else had decided that the drama was over. He gestured towards one of the study tables where his books and parchment were gathered. "I was hoping you could help me with this Arithmancy problem. My work isn't matching with the solution Vector gave us."

"Oh, yes, that's fine." She smiled brightly and sat in his chair. Draco watched her, aware that Potter, Weasel, and Weaslette were staring _Cruico_'s at his back. "Oh, here it is," she exclaimed, grabbing his arm and moving him so he could see. "See, here. In the first step you put a four instead of a two. All you have to do is change that, and since the rest of your calculations are correct, you simply need to adjust them."

His eyes scanned the parchment, following her finger as she explained his simple, yet easily fixed, mistake. "I can't believe… How the hell did you find it _that _easily? I've been staring at this for the past two hours."

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I just tend to notice things that others overlook. Muggle scientists say that people are either more inclined to words or numbers, not both. But I do…" She shook her head and smiled at him. "I guess I'm strange in both the Wizarding and Muggles worlds."

"No, you're just brilliant." And, for the first time, he really meant it.

* * *

Ron slept in her room again that night, but she kept him from _sleeping_ with her. Her musings from earlier had tired her, and now all she wanted to do was rest. Could she possibly be having feelings for_ both_ Ron and Draco?

Twice, Ron had tried to initiate something by teasing her neck with kisses and caressing her arse. She had thought about making him move to the couch, but she had feigned sleep instead and he had quickly given up. His snoring, however, replaced the room's silence. It was something she had become used to after living with him for however many months they were on the run. But now… now, it was driving her crazy. Hermione tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep, even punching her pillow when nothing worked. She groaned her frustration, glad that Ron was a heavy sleeper or else he would probably be awake again, trying to have sex with her.

Finally giving up, she curled against her boyfriend and counted the seconds until morning.


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione was a complete wreck the next morning; she hadn't achieved a single moment of sleep the entire night. Ron, of course, was completely rested and chipper when he left to change before class. Hermione didn't even try to wrestle with her hair, knowing it was impossible. She threw it into a messy bun and let it be; not caring whether it looked like crap or not.

She left the tower and was halfway down the hallway before she realized she had left her bag in her room. Grumbling, she walked back to get it and then continued on to breakfast. At this point, she didn't know how she was going to make it through the day. And it was only 8:00! Ginny was at the 8th year table, laughing with Ron and Harry, as she entered. _Why? Why? Why? She is _not_ an 8__th__ year student, no matter how much she thinks she deserves it!_

Hermione slumped into the seat next to Ron and poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice. She could almost imagine a dark cloud above her, bleeding into her mood. What she wouldn't give for a Cheering Charm. Maybe she could ask someone to cast it on her? Ron could do it; it wasn't like _that_ was something he could screw up.

"Hey babe, man you snored so loud last night. I didn't think I was ever going to get to sleep," Ron laughed, nudging her with his elbow.

The innocent piece of toast she had been buttering was suddenly stabbed through by her knife. "Excuse me," she shrieked, pointing her knife in his face. "_You_ were the one snoring all night long! I didn't sleep at all the entire night! Oh my God, Ron. You are _such _a stupid git!" Food forgotten, she stormed from the hall.

Ginny smirked. It had almost too easy for her to hex Hermione with a Sleepless Night Charm the day before. She was ready to start the next phase of her plan; the potions had already been acquired. If all went well, Ron would be done with Hermione by the end of the week.

* * *

Her long, horrible day just kept getting worse. Here Hermione was, _trying_ to do her homework, and she couldn't even read her own notes. They could only be compared to chicken scratch. Her groan of frustration got even worse as Ginny strolled into the common room alone. Apparently, Harry had given her the bloody password. She put her head on the table and buried it with her arms, unaware that someone had joined her at the table until she heard glass being slid across it.

"Pepper Up Potion." Malfoy smiled at her. "We – well, _I_ made it this morning in Potions and managed to snag a vial for you. Figured you'd need it at some point today."

She snatched the potion, ready to pour it down her throat. "Wait." Her brows furrowed. "Why are you being nice to me?" He rolled his eyes as suspicion flickered over her face. He wasn't sure but she thought she saw a flicker of hurt as well.

"Really, Granger, I thought we'd made somewhat of a truce this year." He looked quite offended. Standing to leave, he said, "You know, I thought we could work together… maybe put the past behind us. But it looks like you're just as prejudiced as you used to accuse me of being." His sneer made her wince.

"Wait," she said before she downed the potion. "I'm sorry. Look, it's just strange that's all. I mean, we _hated_ each other for the past seven years. But… Well, we've both changed so much… I really like the idea of a truce; we already know we can work well together," she whispered.

"I never hated you."

She looked at him, as close to being in shock as one could get. "You- What?"

"I didn't really hate _you_. Potter and Weasel, yes. But you, not really. I knew that I was supposed to, what with the Pureblood crap Father shoved down my throat since before I could speak. But I never really hated you. In all honesty, I only really picked on you to get to your friends. You were never really my intended target." He grabbed her hand and she couldn't help but notice how soft and comforting it was. "It was completely immature and I apologize."

"I'm sorry I hit you in third year," she whispered so quietly that she wasn't sure if he heard it.

He chuckled. So obviously he _had_ heard her. "I deserved that one. I was scared shitless of you after that. Did you know?"

"No, I didn't. Really, you were scared of me? Oh God. I don't even remember what I called you…"

"Ah, I believe it was 'Fowl, loathsome, evil little cockroach.' Or something along those lines." He laughed, a full-bellied laugh that was amazingly contagious. They laughed and joked for sometime after that, while finishing their homework together. They were in their own world, completely cut off from the rest of the common room. Hermione realized that this was the best she had felt all day.

Suddenly, Ron came over and grabbed her arm. She noticed that the walls Draco had taken down during their time together were quickly thrown back in place. He returned Ron's glare with even more iciness than normal. "Come on Hermione," Ron demanded. "We're going to the Three Broomsticks."

She didn't even have a chance to argue before he shoved her towards the fireplace, murder written in his eyes.

* * *

She'd heard Ron's rants before, but none of them had prepared her for the one he was giving now. She tried her best to tune him out, angry and embarrassed that he chose to berate her in public. She caught snippets of what he said. A "Death Eater" here, or an "enemy" there. She'd heard it all before; it was all the same. Maybe if he changed it up, she would listen, but really there's only so many times you can listen to something you don't want to hear.

"Are you even listening to me?" he roared. Hermione crossed her arms, clearly indicating that she wasn't. Furious that his girlfriend wasn't doing as he wanted, he turned towards Harry. "Harry, help me out here. Tell her!"

Harry put his hands up, clearly trying to stay out of the situation, but knowing he wouldn't be able. "Ron… you can't control who she talks to _even_ if it is Malfoy. I mean, he was actually tolerable at tryouts today…" Neither of them had ever seen Ron's face reach the level of red that it did now. Harry sighed. "Come over here Ron. We'll talk and leave the girls to order drinks."

Hermione sighed in relief as Harry led Ron outside. She didn't know what he was going to say, but if anyone could get through to Ron, it was Harry. "So," she said to Ginny, willing to talk about anything except the present situation. "How do you think your Qudditch team will do this year? You're the captain, right?"

She couldn't be sure, but she thought a flicker of absolute loathing crossed her companion's face. Blinking quickly, she realized she must have imagined it because Ginny was smiling at her. "Oh, I think we'll be fine. Better than fine in fact. I highly doubt the early start McGonagall gave the 8th year team will do any good." She laughed. "I mean, can you _imagine_? None of them have even played together before. And half of them didn't even play before this year!"

Ginny shook her head. "Yeah, Harry is going to have his hands full this year."

"And Malfoy," Hermione added.

She had to dodge the spray of butterbeer that shot its way out of Ginny's mouth. "W- what!"

"You didn't hear? Harry made Malfoy his co-captain. He said the team would do better if they worked together."

Harry's girlfriend shook her head, trying her best to shake Hermione's news from her mind. "No. Harry would not do that. He- There's _no way_ he would do that willingly. Are you sure Malfoy didn't hex him or something?"

Something inside Hermione snapped; she was furious. First at her boyfriend and now at his sister. "He didn't even have his wand on him, Ginerva! You and Ronald need to set aside your prejudices and _grow up_!"


	10. Chapter 10

**I've gotten some mixed reviews about this chapter, so I've decided to edit and put a little warning here. ****Anything found in this chapter was put there with a specific reason in mind that will be important in furthering the plot later on - I don't just write out events without knowing where it will take me later. **

******That being said...  
**

**The story summary DOES say that this story will contain Dub-Con. This is the chapter that the warning specifically relates to- So, if that makes you uncomfortable you can skip this chapter, but please note that you will miss quite a bit of important plot pieces. (Personally, I don't _completely_ qualify this as dub-con [it is like a less intense version of it, I guess] but I put the warning just to be safe.)  
**

**Also, I specifically put any and all warnings for this story in the summary (because I know that most people skip over author's notes to get to the story) so that readers would know what they would be getting in to while reading this.  
**

* * *

Thursday night found Hermione sitting at the small four-top table in the tower's kitchen waiting to be served dinner by Ginny. Harry was on her left and Ron – who had apologized quite profusely after this outburst Sunday night – was on her right. Ginny's empty place setting was directly across the table. She had tried to help Ginny make dinner, but in a fashion true to the girl's mother, she had been sent to wait with the boys.

Ginny didn't make them wait very long. Not ten minutes after she'd sent Hermione away, she was levitating four plates of what looked like spaghetti to the table. "Harry, I made yours separate. I didn't want to burn the taste buds of the rest of us just to satisfy your spicy preference."

He grinned and leaned forward to kiss her while Ron quickly looked away. Hermione chuckled at the fact that Ron _still_ couldn't watch anyone kiss his sister. He sent her a half-hearted glare, but she knew he wasn't upset at her. They had actually been getting along quite well after his apology; she didn't know if he meant it or if Harry had forced him to do it, but she didn't care.

Hermione twirled some of her spaghetti around her fork and began eating. She had to give it to Ginny, it was _really_ good. But there was something that tasted off. "Ginny… what's that aftertaste?"

The girl looked up and waved her hand in a dismissive motion. "Oh, that," she laughed. "It's garlic and some of Mum's secret herb mix. Nothing special, really."

Somewhere deep inside her a voice was yelling at Hermione. Ginny's answer hadn't seemed quite right… No one else had thought there was something wrong with the food, though, so Hermione shrugged it off as unwarranted paranoia. She'd listened to Moody's 'constant vigilance' one time too many.

"Mhmm," moaned Harry. "Gin, this is really good. Here, Hermione, try a little bit." She laughed and looked at her friend as if he had grown three heads. "Come on! A _little_ bite isn't going to kill you."

"Oh, fine." She rolled her eyes. Taking his fork she cut herself a piece of his meatball. She had to admit, it was really good. She could feel Ginny's eyes on her, a look of pure horror written across her face. "Oh, it's actually quite good. In fact, I think I'll go get some."

"No!" Ginny's outburst shocked everyone. "What I meant to say is that I only made enough for Harry. Sorry; I'll make some for you next time."

"Oh," Hermione frowned. The foursome continued to eat in relative silence for several minutes; the only one making a noise was Ron as he shoveled his food into his mouth. "Damn it, Ron! Shut _up_!"

Fire flashed in his eyes. "Don't tell me what to do you stupid bitch!"

Screaming back and forth at each other, neither noticed Ginny how extremely satisfied looked. They also didn't see Harry try to fan himself with his collar in an attempt to cool down after a sudden wave of flame licked his skin.

Ginny smiled as Ron and Hermione's insults got more intense. Apparently, the Hate Potion worked; that was a good sign. Her attentions turned to Harry, who she noticed was becoming more flush by the second. She was glad she's taken the opportunity to add a Lust Potion to his food after adding the other potion to Hermione and Ron's. By the end of the night, her brother would be single and she would be writhing under Harry. Her smile turned to an all-out grin as Harry's eyes darkened with lust.

She gasped in delight when he pushed his fork off the table, bent to retrieve it, and never came back up. He was going to take her right there! She spread her legs as she felt him brush against her. But the touch she was expecting never came.

Instead, right in the middle of insulting his girlfriend, Ron moaned. Hermione froze in shock as she realized Harry was no longer in his seat. Ron threw his head back and moaned in total ecstasy. _No way_, she thought. _Is Harry… Oh my God!_

Hermione had peeked under the table just then and saw that yes, Harry was doing _exactly_ what she had assumed. Apparently, he could give a blow job just as well as receive one. And it seemed as if this wasn't the first time the boys had been in this position.

Her suspicion was confirmed when Ron yelled out. "Yes, Harry, you know how I like it! Finish me off so you can shove that perfect cock into my arse!"

Ginny looked absolutely horrified. Hermione wasn't surprised to see tears running down the girl's cheeks as she ran from the room – and probably all the way to the Gryffindor common room.

It all became too much for Hermione when she felt Harry's hand caress her bare calf. _He wants me to _join_ them! No, way! Harry, maybe, but I would never touch Ron. I can't believe I ever thought he was good enough for me. He's… He's just disgusting! Why did it take me this long to figure out that I _hate_ him!_

Before Harry could touch her again, Hermione bolted from the room. Luckily for the boys, she thought enough to cast a locking charm on the door for their privacy – even though it looked as if they would welcome an audience.

Merlin, the common room was blazing hot as she walked through it towards her dorm hallway. All she wanted to do was go to her room and take off her clothes. And cool down. No, no not cool down, she wanted to get hot. Really hot. Gods she needed some relief and she didn't care how she got it.

She entered her room and slammed the door, tearing her clothes off in the process and not caring where they landed. Her bed looked so inviting. She felt like a goddess as she lay down and ran her hands down her chest. What she wouldn't give to have a man on top of her right now! Her skin felt so sensitive that she knew it wouldn't take much.

Her nipples were already hard points when she brushed against them. Gasping, she realized it was like touching herself for the first time! It felt so _good_!

She was so aroused that she couldn't even take the time to tease herself. Leaving one hand on her breast, she quickly circled her clit with the other. A deep-throated moan escaped her, and she was surprised that even _that sound_ sent her higher towards her peak.

Another groan filled her room. A _male_ groan. She titled her head and saw the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. Draco was leaning against the back of her door, palming himself. That sight, when his eyes met hers, sent her over the edge. Never before had her back arched this high. Never before had she screamed this loud.

She wanted more. She _needed_ more.

Hermione waved her hand, locking her door and vanishing Draco's clothing at the same time. She knew he would be mad later, as they were very expensive designer clothes, but neither cared at the moment. "Come here," she growled. Wow, she'd never heard her voice sound like that. So… sultry…

Draco crossed the room in three quick strides, stopping by her bed. The sight of his manhood – long, thick, and proud – was almost enough to make her come again. As it was, she licked her lips. She wanted to taste it but she didn't have the time for that now. "I- I didn't mean to walk in…" he started.

"Get. In. Me. Now!"

The look he gave her spoke of complete and total lust; it was something she'd never seen from Ron before. Climbing on top of her, he grabbed her hips and pushed her higher on the bed. Her nipple found itself nestled in his mouth and she just about passed out, it felt that good. She smirked. If his mouth on her nipple felt like that then his cock…

Draco couldn't contain his surprise as Hermione flipped them so he was on his back and she was straddling his hips. He briefly wondered what had gotten into her, but then she slid _him_ into her and all thoughts went out the window. "Merlin, you're so ti-"

_Smack._

Hermione leaned down and cupped his head back to her breast. "No talking. Just fucking." Draco groaned around her nipple and began thrusting to match her pace. Normally, he hated when girls screamed during sex, but Hermione… He didn't think he would ever forget her scream. It burrowed itself into every cell on his body and made its home.

_Smack._

He smirked around her nipple when she cried out. Girls, for some reason, always loved when he spanked them. Granted, it was more difficult doing it while he was under them, but he'd a feeling she would like it. If the increase to her thrusting was any indication, she hadn't just liked it – she had _loved_ it. Gods, he hoped this wasn't a onetime thing; he could just imagine how great it would be to spank her into submission…

Swiftly, she leaned back – keeping in time with their thrusts, and pulled his hands to her breasts. He groaned as it allowed him the best view of his life. And it only got better as one of her hands scratched along his chest, pinching a nipple when she came to it. His eyes followed her other hand as it caressed her body, stopping at her clit.

"Fuck," he groaned. Her body was becoming too much; she was so tight. "Not… gonna… last…" he hissed. If it was even possible, he sworn her eyes darkened even more. She became breathless, begging him for her release. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever heard.

He closed his eyes, knowing that he would lose it if he kept watching her. Draco could feel his body tensing and did everything he could to hold himself back. Above him, Hermione began gasping and he knew she was _there_.

She was moving faster than she thought she'd ever moved before. It felt like her whole body was winding itself into a coil and she would actually die if it didn't break. "Please… Dra- please… Draco oh…" She couldn't hold anything back; everything she felt was instantly vocalized. Her incoherent thoughts became incoherent babbling. She _had_ to move faster; she had to… to, she didn't know what except that she _needed_ it.

The moment she saw his eyes close and felt his hands tighten on her thighs – when did his hands move there? – she knew she was a goner. Her body tensed so tightly she thought she would die. And if she did, at least she would die in a state of pure bliss. Somehow, and she didn't know how, Draco managed an impossible show of strength. Using only his abs, he managed to sit up far enough capture one of her nipples in her mouth. Just as he bit down, she broke.

Wave after wave crested over her as she experienced the best orgasm she'd ever had. Her scream was so loud and so long that she ended up crying herself hoarse. Spasms of pleasure were still coursing through her when she finally managed to take a much needed breath. She knew her breath always stopped when she came, but she had _never_ felt like she would pass out from lack of oxygen before.

Feeling like all her energy had been drained, Hermione had no choice but to collapse onto her lover. His arms enveloped her body and he nuzzled his nose against her over-sensitive neck. "Mhmm," she moaned as his fingers lightly grazed the skin of her back. When she felt his cock slip from her body, she realized she had completely missed when he'd come. "Wow."

His chuckle vibrated through her entire body. Placing a quick kiss to her neck, he turned them to cuddle on their sides. In all honesty, she was shocked that he hadn't left her bed as soon as they were done. All the rumors she'd heard had implied that he was a 'wham, bam, thank you Ma'am,' type of lover. Instead, he had actually been the one to initiate the cuddling.

"You know…" he said, planting feather-light kisses along her neck. "You yelled at me for talking. What was it? 'No talking. Just fucking?' And you… my dear, I believe that you said _much_ more than I did."

She gasped. "Oh my God! I- I said _that_? I don't… oh." Flashes of their lovemaking quickly came back to her. "I hit you!"

He couldn't hope to contain his laughter at the expression on her face. It could only be described as horror, her eyes wide and her mouth forming a perfect 'o.' "It was… the sexiest… thing I've ever had done to… me," he murmured against her skin between kisses. She felt him smile in response to the shiver that rocked her body.

"What I'm wondering," he began. "Was what the _hell_ got into you."

This confused her. "What did get into-" She froze as she thought about what had happened at dinner. "Oh my… that fucking bitch!" She sat up, fully prepared to find Ginny and destroy her. And she would have succeeded, that is, if Draco hadn't grabbed her arms and held her back.

_I couldn't believe that just happened. I was completely out of control. Did she do that to all of our foods…? No… She did all of that to make Ron and I break up; that's the only thing that makes sense. We were fine until we started eating. And then… but the Lust Potion, that doesn't make sense. _

Everything clicked into place for her at that moment. _She gave me and Ron something to make us hate each other and she must have given Harry something for them to use later. And then I ate his food... _That's _why Ginny freaked when Harry gave me some. _

She curled into a ball beside Draco and bawled. Everything had been so great, but now she realized that she wasn't even herself when it happened. And now she was obviously single, since it seemed Ron and Harry had been together in secret for quite awhile. It was for the best though; there was no way she would want to be a part of _that_ family after everything that had happened.

"You're kind of freaking me out here…"

"Oh!" She had completely forgotten about Draco. "I'm- It was Ginny. She made us dinner and apparently mixed potions into the food. I am _so_ sorry, Draco. I never meant for us to… Oh God!" She buried her face into her pillow.

There was a moment of silence as he searched for words. "So… you don't like me then..." He shifted away. "Wow. I just… I'll go then."

"No!" she gasped. "I mean yes… no. I- I don't know what's going on right now." Hermione grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving her bed. "I didn't mean for it to happen, but that doesn't mean… that doesn't mean that I didn't want it on some level."

That seemed to placate him, since Draco lay back down and pulled her closer to his body. She didn't know how long they stayed like that, minutes or hours. But she soon felt the pull of sleep calling to her. And then she thought she heard a whisper. It was so quite that she may have imagined it – it could have even been the wind. But she thought she heard Draco whisper, "I wanted it too. For a long time I've wanted it."


	11. Chapter 11

Hermione woke up the next morning, stretching and popping any stiff joints as she went, as well as halfheartedly fighting off Draco when he tried to pull her back to his side. Someone pounded on her door, and it sounded as if they had been doing it for quite awhile; that must have been what woke her up.

"Draco. Draco, wake up," she whispered, trying to shake him as well. He groaned and opened his eyes, looking thoroughly annoyed. "There's someone at the door!"

"Fuck," he muttered, getting off the bed and looking around for his clothing. "My clothes Granger?"

Her mouth formed a perfect little 'o' as she remembered _just_ what had happened to this clothing the night before. "Um… Well, I _think_ I may have vanished them while the Lust Potion was influencing me." She was so afraid of his reaction that she swore she was going to bite clean through her lip the way she was biting on it.

The pounding only got worse as her words sunk in. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his forehead, looking like a Greek statue standing in the nude. "It's fine. I'm going to sneak out through the closet." Before he got all the way through, she heard him call out. "If you ever find yourself completely overwhelmed with lust in the future, try to remember that your partner may need clothing the next morning."

She swore she heard him laugh as the closet door closed. Scrambling, she managed to throw on a t-shirt and shorts before throwing open the door to a red-faced Harry and Ron. "Merlin, do you two have any idea what time it is!"

Both took a step back, used to her being a morning person and shocked that she bit their heads off. "We uh… well we wanted to come talk to you after…" Harry shrugged. "Can we come in?" He smiled when she stood aside, giving them room to enter.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a _long _conversation and you two are lucky that we don't have class until 10:00," Hermione huffed, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. She suppressed a shiver as Draco's scent wafted from the sheets at her movement. "So, how long has _this_ been going on?" She tried to hide her anger, but knew it shined through quite well.

They looked at each other, both clearly embarrassed and feeling extremely guilty. Luckily for Ron, Harry decided to grab the ball and speak for both of them. "It started last year, when we were on the run. The first time it happened, we thought it was just a one-time thing; we swore it wouldn't happen again. But… well, I can't speak for Ron, but it just felt _right_ to me."

"Me too, mate."

While they were on the run, but how did… "How did I not know this?"

Ron smiled sheepishly and scratched behind his ear, something he only did when he felt _really_ guilty about something. "Well… Harry and I knew we couldn't do it at night when we were all in the tent, so we…"

Saving her the headache Ron was bound to give with his drawn-out confession, Harry just shouted it out. "We did it while you were keeping watch!" They both froze, unconsciously moving their hands to cover their favorite body parts while they waited for her reaction.

"So you were already in a relationship before the final battle? And you still kissed me? What does that make me, the other woman? Or, well, just the one woman since I'm the only woman in this equation." Hermione was shaking. Betrayed, hurt, used, embarrassed, scorned: every feeling she had for the matter coursed through her, numbing her in shock. She couldn't believe such a sharp turn her life had taken in less than twelve hours.

"Can you just answer me one question? How did you get it up with me since you're gay?"

Ron sputtered in surprise. "I'm not- we're not gay, Hermione. I mean, we like blokes, yeah, but birds do it just as well for us."

"So you just thought that as long as I was putting out you'd take it? And did you think the same thing with Ginny, Harry?" When neither answered she shrieked. "You two are unbelievable."

"Hermione, please," Harry whispered. "We were going to tell you, honest, we were. It's just… last night something came over me. I can't explain it."

"You two didn't figure it out? You don't know?" she said incredulously. "Don't you two realize what Ginny did to us last night?"

It wasn't the reaction they were expecting, and both looked confused. "My sister…? What does she have to do with this?"

She shook her head, trying desperately to keep tears from forming in her eyes. Harry noticed and walked to sit with her, curling her to his chest in comfort. "She- oh God Ron, you didn't think it was strange that we were laughing one minute and ripping each others' head off the next? She had to have put something, a potion most likely, in our food. I think she wanted us to break up; it worked, obviously, but not in the way she was expecting." She laughed, a pitiful, sorrow-filled laugh.

"What are you talking about," Harry whispered, brushing his hand along her back.

She sat up, shocked. "I'm the only one who thought there was something strange about last night?" When it became clear that she statement was true, her laughter turned to tears. "She must have figured that if she was taking the trouble to drug Ron and mine's food, she may as well dose your food too, Harry. It was…" She took a deep breath to steady herself. "It had to have been a Lust Potion. That's why you were so compelled to, um… _service_ Ron right then and there. And I'm willing to bet that the two of you did a lot more than that after I left."

Her friends sat there, silent, for several minutes while all the pieces clicked into place. "She… she drugged us? Oh my God. Ron, your sister…" Harry stopped, unable to come up with words to express his shock, his anger, at her betrayal. "I can't believe Ginny would do something so… Wait." He pulled back from Hermione, trying to get a good look at her. "How do _you_ know it was a Lust Potion?"

"Yeah," Ron piped in.

Hermione gave them both a look that clearly said they should be able to figure it out themselves. Apparently, it worked as recognition dawned on both. "I gave you some of my food… Oh God, Hermione, I'm so sorry. You probably went crazy all night, not having anyone to…"

"And who says I was alone last night, Harry Potter!" She knew her words were a mistake as soon as they left her mouth.

"You were _with_ someone? You cheated on me?"

"Yes, Ronald, I was with someone and you've no room to judge me! _You_ were the one who didn't need a Lust Potion to act like a slag!" She was fuming, knowing that they would stop at nothing to figure out who she'd slept with.

"Who-"

"No! Neither of you have the right to ask me that!" She stood up, holding open the door as she kicked them out. "Get out the both of you! I don't want to talk to you or see your faces. And I think we all need some time away from each other for the time being. I still haven't forgiven either of you for betraying me – especially since you hadn't even _apologized_ yet."

Luckily, they both felt guilty enough over their secret that they didn't fight her and left quickly. As soon as she was alone, she collapsed against the door in sobs. She felt as if her entire friendship with Harry and Ron was a lie; had anything _real_ ever occur between the three? She didn't know. Her crying got worse when she realized the tightness in her chest was growing. As if being betrayed by her friends wasn't enough, now she was having a panic attack as well.

She was lying there, trying to fight for control over her breathing, when she felt warm arms wrap around her. The Dark Mark showed clearly now in the light of day and she realized Draco had come back. Hermione knew that he was trying to let her cry herself out, but she knew his waiting would be for naught; she wouldn't be able to bring herself out of this on her own. "I n- I need," she gasped.

"What? Tell me and I'll get it for you."

She pointed to a pill bottle that sat on her desk. "Orange… Bottle," she collapsed on the floor when he moved, as she was using him to hold her up.

"What is this…" She grabbed the bottle from him, fumbling with the lid and scattering the pills across the floor. Reaching for the closest one, she shoved it into her mouth, drying swallowing it despite the horrible taste. All this had happened in less than five seconds and she could feel Draco watching her, clearly horrified in his inability to help her. Once he realized, however, that she was finished with what he'd retrieved for her, he took up his spot behind her once again.

Luckily, Hermione's stomach was empty, allowing the pill to work quicker than normal. About ten minutes later, her sobbing lessened and she tried desperately to regain control of her breathing. Quickly losing herself to exhaustion, she realized Draco had been rubbing her back and whispering comforting words for some time. "Thank you," she whispered, moving to sit up.

His face was riddled with concern as he examined her. "_What_ just happened?"

Rubbing her face and breathing deeply, she thought about how best to describe everything. "The war left me with something Muggles call PTSD. It's a psychological disorder brought about by traumatic experiences. Symptoms are different for everyone… and what you just saw was mine. If I…" She paused, feeling weird that now someone other than her close friends and family knew about her panic attacks. "If I'm startled by something, or if something upsets me, it can lead to me having panic attacks. It doesn't always happen but it happens _enough_."

She shook her head. "I've tried going to Mind Healers, but nothing they did could help me. My parents ended up having to take me to a Muggle doctor, who gave me those pills." When she realized he didn't know what she was talking about, she tried to explain them. "Those white things… they're like potions, but they aren't liquid. And they don't work as well, but… well, it's the only thing I've got that helps, so I make do. There's no potion for this, as I quickly found out."

Draco was quiet for a long time after that. "Is it…" He paused, looking at the pills that still littered her floor. Waving his wand, he gathered, cleaned, and put them back in their bottle before replacing the cap. "Is _this_ from…" He buried his face against her neck, not wanting her to see him break apart. "Is this from what happened at the Manor?"

Her breath caught in her throat. In all honestly, that was one question she'd asked herself time and time again. If she couldn't answer herself, she knew she wouldn't be able to answer him. "I don't know," she whispered.

His arms tightened around her and a wetness began to travel along her shoulder. "I'm sorry. Oh God, I'm so sorry. I wanted… you have no idea how much I wanted to help you. I- I still have nightmares about that day."

She listened to him cry against her, thinking how best to describe what she'd felt during her torture. "You did help me." He choked against her, not believing her words. "You did. You didn't know it, but you helped more than you could imagine. When she… it hurt more than anything I've ever felt before. It hurt _so _badly. I tried to focus on something, anything that would distract me from the pain. Your parents… they were stone-faced even though I could see the uncertainty in their eyes. But you… oh God, Draco, I'd never seen you so open before. I started thinking about how I was so used to seeing you with a sneer on your face."

Absentmindedly, she started rubbing his back with the same motions he was rubbing hers. "Thinking about that, it took me away from the pain. So, I kept doing it – shifting through my memories for anything else about you. Trying to remember if I had ever seen you happy and smiling. I almost laughed when I remembered slapping you in third year; at that point I wasn't sure if I was just going insane instead."

Slowly, he relaxed against her. "I was just remembering the Yule Ball and how you danced at least once with every Slytherin girl without a date, when Harry and Ron ran into the room. And – Look at me," she said, sitting up and forcing him to do the same. "I _know_ those hexes you cast weren't meant to hit them; you wanted them to rescue me. You wanted us to escape and end the war, didn't you?"

"Yes," he nodded. "That night… it made up my mind about switching sides. After watching you be so strong through everything she did to you, there was no doubt in my mind that I was on the wrong side."

Knowing it wasn't the right time for it, but not being able to stop herself, Hermione laughed. "You mean- you mean that we _both_ helped the other that night? I know… I know I shouldn't be laughing right now, but that is _so_ funny!"

He stared at her for a moment, no doubt wondering if she was crazy, before laughing as well. "You're right. And I'm glad you started laughing because that was getting _way_ too intense for a minute there." They both lay on their backs, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "You weren't having that, er… panic attack because of cheating of your boyfriend, were you?"

She laughed even harder then, wondering how the hell it was possible that she could laugh at all. "No! Oh God! You see, _I_ wasn't the one who cheated. It was Ron!" His eyebrows shot up. "With Harry! Oh it's amazing that I didn't see it before!"

Draco's face broke into a shit-eating grin. "I knew it!"


	12. Chapter 12

The next week went by quite easily for Hermione. On the surface, not much had changed – except Ron and Harry's outed relationship became the hot button gossip conversation. It was a common occurrence the first few days to find girls crying in the bathrooms over the loss of 'two of the hottest guys the Wizarding World had ever seen.' Girls who never had half a chance with either, now bawled because the men were 'lost to them forever.' Personally, Hermione thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen, and possibly the most pathetic. And what was even funnier to her – and to everyone who'd heard about the dinner – was how Ginny's plan had blow up in her face. According to Dennis Creevey, a Prefect, the Head Girl hadn't reported for duty since that night. The rumor around school was that McGonagall had considered replacing her, especially after hearing the girl had drugged fellow students without their knowledge.

_Poetic justice_, Hermione thought happily.

Amazingly, the boys had managed to keep Hermione accidently consuming the Lust Potion between the three of them – and Draco, but the boys had yet to figure out Hermione's lover.

Hermione and Draco had actually made their friendship known publically. Starting the day he'd found her having a panic attack, they'd been sitting together in classes and studying together in the library or tower. Students and professors alike were shocked to see the two walking through the halls together as if their past animosity had never happened, but if anyone disagreed with the friendship they never came forward. Even Harry and Ron were tolerant, though Hermione thought that it may only be because they wanted back in her good graces.

Walking through the hallway almost a week after Ginny's failed dinner, Hermione was finally beginning to think that this school year was going to be hassle free.

That is, until _the article_ came out. It had been well-known throughout their world that Draco had been the only returning 8th year Slytherin to Hogwarts. Kingsley had been furious, since his law _only_ limited students from obtaining jobs unless they passed their NEWTs. He had completely underestimated the cunning of the Slytherin House. They weren't allowed to _work_, but all of them had more than enough money that the next several generations of their family wouldn't have to work if they so chose.

Since the beginning of the school year, it was rumored that Kingsley and his associates had been working tirelessly to amend the law to their liking. The _Daily Prophet_ that morning clearly indicated that Kingsley had achieved his goal. His new law, applying to all the 8th year students_ and_ the Slytherins who had not returned, stated that not only could they not work if they failed to pass their NEWTs, but any and all inheritance would be forfeited to the ministry.

The prominent Pureblood families were utterly outraged that the Prime Minister would take his new law to that extreme – many thinking that he had greatly overstepped his bounds. Hermione, herself, was appalled that Kingsley would go so far as to use blackmail to make his demands, especially since the law only applied to their class and would be void after school year ended. It was clearly a power play, used to send a message to the rest of the Pureblood society by targeting the seven students' families. The Ministry was charge and bribery would no longer be tolerated.

The Purebloods society was gathering forces, showing their support for the seven families affected, and preparing to fight the amendment with everything they had. It was useless though, Hermione knew proceedings could take over a year if Kingsley pulled strings and had the petitions lost during filing. By the time the protests reached the court, the school year would be over and the argument would become moot.

In the meantime, there was only one thing the families of the absent students could to do protect their money.

The Slytherins were coming back to Hogwarts.

"Granger, how the hell did you translate that so fast?" Draco slammed his Ancient Runes text on the table in frustration.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "After translating an entire children's book, this work is just too easy."

"Children's book… What are you going on about?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" she said, cheerfully. "Well, Dumbledore left each of us – Harry, Ron, and myself – something in his will when he died. Harry got the first Snitch he'd ever caught, Ron got the deluminator, and I was given a Tales of Beetle the Bard book written all in Runes. It was pretty boring while we were on the run, so I ended up translating the whole thing. It actually came in handy along the way…"

"_You_ have… Do you know how rare something like that is?" Draco looked up from his work. "God, Granger, there's only three original copies worldwide!"

She smirked in true Malfoy fashion. "Yes, I did plenty of research once the war ended. I could actually sell it and not have to work a day for the rest of my life if I wanted, but I would never do that. It's too sentimental to just pawn it off. Besides, I've thought about taking my translations and making a book out of them, since the only version is written in Runes. That way, parents could actually _read_ the stories to their children, instead of trying to recite memorized lines."

"Wow," Draco sighed. "So why are you even taking this class?"

She shrugged. "I can let you borrow the book if you'd like. It may help you get better at all of this…"

He smiled at her, touched and surprised that she would trust him with something so special. "Yes, that'd be great. Thank you," he said as she _Accio_'d the book from her room. He thought it was absolutely amazing as he sat flipping through it; it was clearly a magical book as the pages weren't aged in the slightest.

Looking up, he began to express his gratitude when the entrance to the tower slammed open with a _bang_. Gasps escaped those in the room as they looked for the cause of the sound. Marching in as if they owned the place and wanted to burn it to the ground, were the seven missing Slytherin students. They moved as a group, almost as if they were going to battle with Zabini and Nott taking point. Upon seeing Draco, Pansy broke the imaginary ranks and ran to him, looking down her nose at his choice of company.

"Hello Drakey-poo," she said, sitting in his lap. "Did you miss us?"

Trying his best to detach Pansy from his person and failing, he acknowledged his former House members – Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Greg Goyle, Tracey Davies, Millicent Bulstrode, and Daphne Greengrass. It was especially awkward seeing Daphne after his rejection of her sister over the summer. The two had been betrothed since the witch's birth, but he had put his foot down a month before their wedding, walking away and forcing his father to either end the arrangement or lose his son. He hadn't seen either of the sisters since, but he'd heard Astoria had transferred to Beauxbatons to avoid the embarrassment of seeing her former fiancé at Hogwarts.

"So this is where we live now, huh?" said Blaise, interrupting Draco's train of thought. The look on his friend's face could only be described as disgust. He regarded the other students in the room with a look that clearly screamed of his superiority.

"Not so bad, Zabini. Hell of a lot less _wet_," smirked Draco, earning a few snickers.

"Drakey, show us our rooms? They're near _yours_ I hope," Pansy tracing her fingers across his chest and wiggling against him, clearly trying to cause a reaction.

He pushed her off him and pointed to the hallway that housed their rooms. "Down there on the right. I'll be along in a moment." Turning from them, he addressed Hermione. "Thank you for the book. I'll be back out once this lot gets settled and then we can go to dinner." Kissing her hand, he walked away only to go back and grab the book, not wanting to leave it unattended in the common room. Making his way after his friends, he either didn't notice the looks of disgust they sent him or didn't care.


	13. Chapter 13

As he got ready for bed that night, Draco remembered Hermione's book and figured that it was as good a time as any to look through it. He lay across his couch and began thumbing through it, reading some of the notes Hermione had made in the margins. He was so engrossed in the book, he didn't even notice it had started to rain until his window slammed open violently, rainwater pouring in after it. He quickly jumped to close the window, and made sure it was securely locked. Luckily, there wasn't much water on his floor and he was easily able to clean it up with his wand.

"Shit," he cursed, realizing that in his shock he had nearly thrown the book across the room. Picking it up, he immediately dropped it again when he heard a voice cry out.

_Save me._

Not knowing from which direction it came from, he threw open his bedroom door, only to find the hallway empty. A scowl crossed his face since he knew his window was tightly locked and no one would be out in a storm like the one currently trying to break through. _Where the hell did that voice come from? I must have just imagined it_… Silently, he closed the door and got into bed. It had been so strange, that voice. And he could have sworn he recognized it from somewhere.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, he thought that maybe the voice had sounded like Hermione.

Draco woke the next morning with no recollection of the night before; in fact he had a night free of nightmares which had become a rare occurrence. He stretched lazily and, since it was Saturday, he almost went back to sleep. He couldn't, he realized, because today was the last day they could practice before the rest of the Quidditch teams were allowed to begin their training and Potter had convinced him to schedule a four hour long session that promised to be brutal. Groaning, he got up and began to dress. His muscles were still sore from the practice they'd had two days ago. If he had known how much work it was to learn a new position, he would have gladly tried out for Seeker against Potter instead of acting nobly and giving it up.

Yes, he'd played Chaser against his friends when it never counted, but he hadn't realized how much more _work_ it was. As a Seeker, he had mostly sat and watched the action from above while looking for the Snitch. But now… Now, he was flying non-stop, trying to catch the Quaffle while simultaneously avoiding Bludgers. And to top it all off, Potter made him lift weights once practice was over as well. Apparently, Potter thought he needed to get rid of his Seeker's build and bulk up into a muscled freak. What was the use of being co-captains, if he was still being told what to do?

His bag and books were still littering his floor from when he had thrown them on his way to dinner the night before. He sighed; even with House Elves, his mother didn't raise him to be a slob. Gathering all the books together, he picked them up to organize them on his desk when a knock sounded at his door. He laid the books down, brushing his fingers against them.

_Help me._

He froze. "What the fuck?" He had heard that voice before; he knew he had. Another knock sounded, breaking him from his stupor. "What?" he yelled.

"Malfoy? Uh, it's Goyle…"

Draco sighed, already knowing what Goyle would possibly want to talk to him about, and opened the door. "Come in, but I'm in a hurry."

"Yeah that's what I wanted to talk to you about…" Goyle shifted nervously, probably trying to not look too desperate. "I was wondering if I could… join you? At practice, I mean."

_Shit_, Draco thought. _He wants this badly. _"Greg… We've already had trials." The man at his door looked crestfallen. _Fuck, where the hell is his Slytherin pride. Fuck, fuck, fuck! _"You've put me in a hard position here, man. Get down to the pitch and I'll talk to Potter. _Don't_ get your hopes up; at this point you'll probably only get a substitute position."

"Thank you Malfoy." Goyle grinned and turned away quickly. "Oh, I almost forgot – your price?"

"I'll let you know. Just don't be late." Draco closed the door and knocked his forehead against it. "Stupid. Fucking. Friends." Damn, as if he didn't have enough to worry about at practice.

Draco felt like the Hogwarts Express had run him over, backed up, and gone over him again. Everything hurt, even his eye lashes. Okay, maybe not his eyelashes, but he'd never been this sore in his life – not even after a practice torture session with his aunt. Not even bothering to drop his equipment off in his room, he made straight for the bathroom. More specifically, he made for the _good_ bathroom, ready for a nice long soak to soothe his aching body. Hell, he might just stay in there for the rest of the day. He groaned, pushing against the door.

"No fucking way!" Someone was in _his_ bathroom! No, he needed to get in there. He needed a bath, not some stupid shower, but a bath to relax and work the ache from his body. _There's no time for weakness, Draco_, his father's voice mentally scolded him. _Malfoy's always get what they want_.

A wicked smirk crossed his face. He was going in, room occupied or not. If it was a bloke in there, Draco had no problem kicking him out; and if it was a girl in there… Well, they could help him with another ache he had.

With a quick _Alohamora_, he unlocked the door and walked in as if he owned the place, which for the moment he did. A quick sweep showed that no one was present. "Fucking hell, someone idiot locked the door when they left." Fuming at the stupidity of others, he filled the tub with some of his choice healing potions and body washes. Undressing in his current condition was quite painful; he could barely raise his arms or bend over. Somehow, and he wasn't sure how, he was able to relieve himself of his clothing and slide himself into the water. "Oh, that feels good." Floating on his back, he allowed the water to do its work, content to stay there for as long as he needed.

A loud shriek filled the room, echoing off the marble walls and floors. "Malfoy, what the hell are you doing in here?" Startled, he coughed, choking on the water he'd swallowed while trying to get back upright to see who the intruder was. "Malfoy, seriously how did you get in here?"

Standing at doorway to the steam room, was a very pissed off Hermione Granger who was desperately trying to wrap her robe around her body. _Damn_, he thought. _My memory did not do her justice._ "You were in… Oops." He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't think anyone was in here."

"The door was locked!" she shrieked. "Of course, there was someone in here!"

"Alright, alright, I said I was sorry. Besides, you look like you're done in here anyway." He looked at her, hoping she would see reason before the suds around him dissipated.

She huffed. "No I'm not. I haven't even bathed yet; I was waiting to do that until I got out of the steam room." She planted her hands on her hips, a position he figured she thought was intimidating. It may have been to her friends, but it wasn't doing anything to him except making him grow in a very specific place. "You need to leave."

"What?" he spat. "No way! You're friend kicked my arse in practice today and I'm not going anywhere until my body quits throbbing." Her eyes narrowed. "Come on, Granger! It's not like we haven't seen each other naked. Just use the other end; the bath is big enough for the both of us."

"It doesn't matter if we've seen each other naked! And that doesn't mean anything because it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Ginny!" Her eyes flashed with danger. "I will give you to the count of three before I hex you, Malfoy."

He narrowed his eyes, waved his hand, and called his wand to him. "Try it, Granger. I admit I made a mistake and I apologized. But you are just being fucking stupid now!" He continued as she gasped. "Now you can either get in the bath and _share_ or you can get out. Frankly, I don't care what you do, but I'm not leaving." He leaned back to float on his back again, not caring if he flashed her a show.

Hermione stayed silent for a moment, clearly fuming. Finally, she said, "Please, Malfoy?"

Draco cracked an eye, hearing a hitch in her voice that frightened him. Her head was down and she looked utterly defeated. Cursing to himself, he gave her what she wanted. "Fine, just… let me rinse off, okay?" God, he felt like a complete arse.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." Turning towards the opposite wall, she looked away and waited while he dressed in his robe. As he walked to the door, she called out. "Please don't be mad at me…"

Draco groaned silently to himself. He couldn't stay mad at her if he tried.


	14. Chapter 14

During Monday morning breakfast, Hermione received a rather unexpected surprise. Right in the middle of her conversation with Padma, a large eagle owl flew through the open window and deposited a note directly into her eggs. Every student, even the first years, knew who the owl belonged to. And at the present moment, he was the only 8th year student not in the Great Hall. She felt everyone staring at her, Ron most of all. He glared at the note as if he could set it on fire with his eyes.

Ignoring her audience, because really it was none of their business, she broke the seal and read. A grin spread across her face; it was written in ancient runes.

_It would give me great pleasure if you would grace me with your presence in the Transfiguration Courtyard._

_ -DM_

Padma, who Hermione didn't notice was reading over her shoulder huffed. "Well what does it say?"

Hermione looked up to see everyone at the table waiting for her answer. "It's written in runes and it says that it's none of your business." She glared at each and every one of them to make her point, before gathering her bag and leaving the hall.

Because she constantly looked behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed, it took her longer than she expected to meet her destination. She hoped he would be there and that this wasn't some treasure hunt sending her from one location to the next, because she had less than an hour until class began. If it was, well, he would have to wait all day because she wasn't going to miss classes no matter how curious she was.

As she walked through the archway, she growled, realizing that it was empty. "Wow, can you do that next time we're in bed?" Turning around, she realized he had been leaning against the wall beside the archway in a spot where she wouldn't have seen him unless she was turned around like now. He laughed, "Relax, I'm just kidding."

He walked to her and ran the back of his hand down her cheek, smiling when she shivered. "I'm sorry for the other day," he whispered.

"No, I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have kicked you out. I mean, _you_ shouldn't have broken in, but there was no reason we could have shared as long as it stayed platonic." She smiled at him, admiring the way his light blue dress shirt brought out the blue specks in his eyes. "What have you got hidden behind your back?"

Draco's eyes lit up as if he had a secret before presenting her with his gift. "Snapdragons? I don't get it," she wondered aloud.

"Yes," he hummed. "Tell me, Granger, what's the core of your wand?" By the sparkle in his eyes, it was clear that he already knew but she answered him anyway.

"Dragon heartstring." She blushed. "So that explains the flowers, but now I want to know how you knew about my wand."

He smirked. "Don't you remember the essay we had to do first year? The one where we had to analysis our wand materials and identify what magic the wand would be best at?" He shrugged. "I heard you talking all about it to your friends once your research was finished. Besides, with your hexes it really is quite obvious."

"Oh," she said. "I was worried you'd been stalking me or something." She held back her laughter until he began sputtering and adamantly denying what she'd said. Once he realized she was making fun of him, he took her flowers and bopped her on the nose with them.

"Not nice," he said. "And here I was, about to ask you to dinner, but then you had to get all mean on me…"

"Dinner?"

He smirked. "Yes, dinner with just the two of us. Some place nice, I think." He handed her back her flowers and took a step back. "I suppose whether or not it's a date is up to you."

Although his words were flippant, his eyes challenging hers, she could see that he was steeling himself against possible rejection. In a bold move that surprised them both, she lightly cupped his cheek and leaned forward to join their lips. She felt his smile as she broke the kiss. "So I suppose it's a date," he murmured, caressing her cheek with one hand and holding her waist with the other.

Stepping back, Hermione twirled her flowers in her fingers and playfully smirked. "Now who said anything about that?" She took several steps towards the archway before turning around to smirk at him. His head was down, hands fisted at his sides, and his jaw set firmly. "Draco," she called, realizing he thought she really did turn him down.

Draco felt like a fool for actually thinking she would accept him. He looked up to see Hermione staring at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You turn me down and you think it's funny!" he shouted.

She gasped. "Draco," she whispered, walking back to him and grasping his hands. "Please, Draco, I was joking. I'm sorry, I thought you realized…"

"Joking?" His eyes met her, silver boring into brown. The intensity made her wince.

"I didn't think you would let me go like that. I thought…" she hesitated, turning away in embarrassment. "I thought you would chase after me."

"So…" he trailed, before grabbing her waist and pulling her against him. "It's a date then?"

Before she could answer him, he quickly kissed her. "And no more jokes."

She smiled. "Yes."

"Will you please tell me where we're going so I can dress accordingly?" Hermione huffed; she'd already asked twice and was probably hoping the third time would be a charm. Draco gave her a look that he hoped would let her know asking again was pointless. "Ugh, fine!" She turned around to go back through the closets, slamming his door on the way. He knew she probably slammed the door on her side too, even though he couldn't hear it.

What she didn't know was that Draco couldn't tell her what to wear, because at the moment he didn't even know what he was going to wear. He knew where he was taking her, yes, but he wanted to impress her and he just didn't know how to do it. Normally he wouldn't give a second thought when dressing for a date, but this was Hermione and even though she didn't know it he had liked her for years and years.

Deciding Wizard Robes wouldn't do, he decided on his favorite black suit. The only problem now was that he didn't know which shirt to pair it with. Suddenly, the shirt he thought he would never wear caught his eye. He smirked at Blaise's gag gift, knowing that neither of them had ever thought it would come in handy.

Satisfied with his choice of outfit, he decided he needed a shave; he didn't want any stubble when kissing Hermione. Grabbing a piece of parchment, he wrote for her to be ready in forty-five minutes and tossed it through the veil charms and into her closet before leaving for the bathroom.


End file.
